Bad experience with Home Breeze (updated)

With Home Breeze, housework is not a breeze anymore.

Updated

@ 2.30pm

Kelly : Do you want me to wash the fan covers (showing 2 to me).

Me : Yes please.

After she has already left, I discovered the 2 pieces of dirty fan cover are hanging over the (open) washing machine! *faint* I do not know about you but I find it disgusting.

@ 5pm, I noticed she has already kept the ironing board but there are still some clothes not ironed.

Me : Kelly, those need to be ironed too. They are my work clothes.

Kelly : Is it dry yet?

Me : Yes definitely, I washed them 3 days ago. You can just touch and feel if they are already dried right?

Is she acting blur or she just lacks initiative?

@ 6pm, I noticed that the bathroom is not washed.

Me : Kelly, did you wash the bathroom? (I just wanted to clarify)

Kelly : Erm no. I will do it now.

Me : It is okay if you don't have time. You only have 10 mins left. (She left exactly on the dot during the last 2 times)

Kelly : It is okay. I will use the last 10 minutes to wash the bathroom.

Me : Okay then.

Later, after she was gone. I saw the bathroom was rather dry, the rag is still the same and there are hairs on the floor. You call this washing?

I feedback to Darren again. He did not apologise at all and merely tell me that this is teething problem. I disagree. I think the problem is due to her work attitude and lack of experience. The conversation ended with "I have to wait 2 weeks for a replacement".

One of the sloppy works left by Home Breeze, Kelly

Bad experience with Home Breeze

We have a really bad experience with the cleaner from Home Breeze.

Extracted from Home Breeze's website,

HomeBreeze is a personalized service for all your housekeeping needs. If your looking for a part time maid or housekeeper, look no further. At HomeBreeze, you can browse our selection of screened part time maid or housekeepers to suit your preferences and availability.

At HomeBreeze we believe that each home is different and thats why our trained team will work together with you to give you that personal touch. So sit back, relax and rest assured that with HomeBreeze, all your home needs will be taken care of.

On the first day, Kelly did so many things that made us doubt if she is really trained. Examples

1) She wanted to mop the floor before she even changed the bedsheets or dusted the tables.

It is common sense to clean from up-to-bottom. No training is even needed to understand this.

2) She used the same piece of Magic Clean wipe that she has wiped the kitchen to wipe the living room.

Kitchen is supposedly the most oily place in the house. The correct way is to clean from the bedrooms, living room and finally the kitchen. Please tell me this is also a common sense thing.

3) Then she spent exactly 1.5hours to iron 11 pieces of clothes and of which more than 50% are not well-ironed. 

My defination - at most we should only see one line on each sleeves of the shirt/jacket. But she managed to have numerous lines on each sleeves. "Well-done".

All the shirts' collars are flattened because she cleverly buttoned the second button instead of the first.

Hello Home Breeze! You call this trained team??

On the same day, we immediately feedback to Darren of Home Breeze.

Darren : You should teach Kelly and tells her how you want things to be done.

Me : You are supposed to provide a trained staff. There are some things which we merely have to apply common sense. I have provided orientation and if she still have doubts, she can just ask me or my mum. 

Me : And I also need someone who can iron well.

Darren : I am surprised. We heard good feedback that she irons well.

Me : Then come and see it for yourself. By the way, who uses more than 8 minutes to iron one piece of clothing? She is supposed to be trained isn't it? 

Darren : This may be teething problems. It is her first day.

Me : I can monitor her progress but please understand we hire external help to lessen my mum's burden. If I have to train YOUR staff for you. I might as well hire a maid now.

Let's just put it plainly. If I can do the housework, I will not need to go to a professional agency and pay S$188/- to him.

On her second time, I worked till very late and was too tired to check with my mum. But I do notice that she folded the tee shirts into tiny pieces hence easily causing the pile to topple. So this time I see her (personally), I told her this and she asked me to fold one for her. *Mega roll eye*

Me : I do not have to fold one for you now. As you can see, I have already redo the whole stack of folding.

Kelly : Then you must have space if you want your tees to be folded in a bigger size.

Me : Yes I do have space. (I really cannot be bothered to say anymore. Please use your brains. If we have been folding our clothes this way, it means we do have space. Or alternatively you can use your eyes and see it for yourself. And we did not fold it in big pieces, you are the one that folded the tees in tiny pieces)

Today is her third time and I was working from home in the afternoon. It was a hot and sunny afternoon. She appeared at 2.10PM, looking all hot and sweaty (she had cycled to our house). As soon as she set foot in the house, she immediately proceeded to change the bedsheets!! I am so disgusted. We all know what is personal hygiene. The first thing we reached home, we will proceed to wash our hands first. I requested her to wash her hands and she retorted, "IF YOU want me to..............." I saw her proceeded to wash her hands with water. No hand soap. I guess it is my fault? Because I did not tell her clearly enough that she has to wash her hands with hand soap as well. We keep a big bottle of Kirei Kirei foaming hand soap in each bathrooms.

We had hired extra help to clean the house but instead of that, we have invited more germs into the house. And of course, the list goes on.

Jun 2012 Hong Kong and Macau

It is already July and I haven't got time to get down to pen my HK/Macau trip. Since I am unable to access the Company's portal from home (for don't-know-whatever-reasons), I decided to continue with my backdated post.

No trip to HK is complete without HK Dim Sum. I am still feeling bewildered because I have not been to any "Chai(2) Can(1) Ting(1)" ie HK eateries for local food nor did I have any dim sum during this 5D4N trip. And no tram rides either.

This is a family trip. We chose HK because the parents were transiting in HK on their way back from USA so we thought we can meet them there. HK is also not a child friendly place nor is it suitable for elderly. It is mostly stairways and few places have lifts. Our group consisted of 2 adults, 2 elders and 1 15-month toddler. So, we had to use the lift because we have a stroller. (We try not to use the stroller so often though).

On a side note, here is a list of things that I will like to do and eat in HK.

- eat Bo(1) Lo(2) Bao(1)

- eat HK Dim Sum

- have breakfast at a Cha(2) Can(1) Ting(1)

- Shopping for work clothes

- a leisurely tram ride

- buy Qi(3) Hua(2) egg rolls of my favourite favors

Unfortunately I did not manage to accomplish any of them. I can't help feeling alittle disappointed. Was I in HK? I think I need to make a trip to HK again.

This is yums! It is toasted bread with butter and condensed milk. *contented*

 

12.6.12

“Come to the edge, he said.

They said: We are afraid.

Come to the edge, he said.

They came.

He pushed them

And they flew.” ----- Guillaume Apollinaire

Adisucipto International Airport

We spent our last piece of IDR100,000 to buy magnets at the airport and later realised that we still have to pay IDR100,000 for airport tax before we are allowed to enter the waiting area. Luckily we still have US dollars with us so we paid USD15 per pax instead. Please remember to keep your last piece of IDR100,000 when you are visiting Yogyakarta!!

Another interesting sight that I noticed about this airport (besides that it is a very small airport and it is not airconditioned). There is only one baggage claim area and the conveyor belt is overcrowded with passengers waiting to collect their luggage. Before I can bring my luggage out of the airport, I have to show my receipt to the airport officers to prove that I am not running off with another person's baggage. So, please do not lose the receipt!

A fruit named Salak

IMG_0427, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

Have you heard of this fruit called Salak and whose skin resembles that of a snake? I have not.

So when Chin asked the tour driver to bring us to buy Salak, I was surprised to see such a fruit. They say it tasted like jackfruit. Anyway, as I am personally not a fan of jackfruit, I gave it a miss.

Salak pondoh is an important fruit in Yogyakarta province. In the five years to 1999, the annual production in Yogyakarta doubled to 28,666 tons. Its popularity among local Indonesian consumers is mainly due to the intensity of its aroma, which can be overripe and sweaty even before full maturation.

Salak is a species of palm tree. The fruit grow in clusters at the base of the palm, and are also known as snake fruit due to the reddish-brown scaly skin. They are about the size and shape of a ripe fig, with a distinct tip. The pulp is edible. The fruit can be peeled by pinching the tip, which should cause the skin to slough off so it can be pulled away. The fruit inside consists of three lobes, each containing a large inedible seed. The lobes resemble, and have the consistency of, large peeled garlic cloves. The taste is usually sweet and acidic, but its apple-like texture can vary from very dry and crumbly (salak pondoh from Yogyakarta) to moist and crunchy (salak Bali).

Prambanan

IMG_8457, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

Prambanan is a collection of massive Hindu temples (candi) built by the Mataram Kingdom, rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty.

Prambanan was designated at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and its global profile as a tourist attraction rose markedly in the 1990s. In the wake of the May 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, some parts of Prambanan sustained significant damage.

There is a legend that Javanese people always tell about this temple. This folk legend tells about a story of a prince called Bandung Bondowoso who wanted to marry the daughter of King Boko, Roro Jonggrang . Bandung Bondowoso insisted on the union, and finally Roro Jonggrang was forced to agree but she posed one impossible condition: Bandung must build her a thousand temples in only one night. With the assistance of sprints, Bundung Bondowoso succeeded in building 999 buildings. When he almost completed the last temple, Roro Jonggrang ordered the palace maids to begin pounding rice and set a fire in the east of the temple. This is an attempt to make the Prince and the spirits believe that the sun was about to rise. As the cocks began to crow, fooled by the light and the sounds of morning time, the supernatural helpers fled back into the ground. The prince was furious about the trick and in revenge he cursed Roro Jonggrang to stone. She became the last and the most beautiful of the thousand statues. According to the traditions, the unfinished thousandth temple created by the demons become the Sewu Temple and the Princess is the image of Durga in the north cell of the Shiva temple at Prambanan, which is still known as Rara Jonggrang or Slender Virgin.

Borobudur Temple

IMG_7993, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

Borobudur is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Central Java, Indonesia.

The word Borobudur is believed to mean monastery on a hill. It was abandoned following the 14th century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam.

It was built in three tiers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs, covering a total surface area of 2,500 m². Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. The monument was restored with UNESCO's help in the 1970s and has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Borobudur is also Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.

The streets of Jalan Malioboro

IMG_7728, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

Jalan Malioboro is a major shopping street in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The street is the centre of Yogyakarta's largest tourist district surrounded with many hotels and restaurants nearby. Sidewalks on both sides of the street are crowded with small stalls selling a variety of goods. In the evening several open-air streetside restaurants operate along the street. Less obvious to the tourist, but more for the local population are the side streets, lanes and structures that lead on to Malioboro are as important as the street itself.

My travel mates and I named this "the Orchard Road of JOG".

May 2012 @ Villa Hanis, Yogyakarta *Updated"

Photo credits : Fionna, she is also my travel buddy for this trip

This is how we locked our villa when we had to go out. At night, we locked the villa from inside. Unique!

May 2012 @ Villa Hanis, Yogyakarta

The road leading into the villa was bumpy. Upon arrival, we were surprised that there is only one villa at Hanis, separated by a bamboo screen from the restaurant. Somehow we have missed out this information from the Net.
 

The villa is a Javanese house that gives a very rustic feel. It consists of two rooms with connecting outdoor bathrooms. In the big room, there is a double four posted bed, wardrobe, TV, minibar, sofa corner, reading desk and a big mirror. The big room is beautifully decorated with Javanese ornaments. There is also a private garden with a pool and a shady gazebo.

We had our first lunch at the restaurant and we informed the staffs that we do not take beef. The next morning, the attentive staff still remembered and reminded us that the sausage at the breakfast consisted beef and they replaced it with pork bacon for us. Since our flight on the last day was at 7.30AM, we had to leave the villa at 5.30AM, the kind staff prepared sandwiches for us to take along to the airport.

We also used the hotel airport shuttle which cost USD 9 per trip and we hired the same driver for the next two days. It is essential to have a driver in Yogyakarta. It cost IDR 550,000 for hire a driver for 12-hour/daily.
 

The villa is clean and the service is good. We enjoyed breakfast times as we could have a spectacular view of Mount Merapi. There is also WIFI in our villa and at the restaurant. Overall, it is an unique experience for the 3 of us.

 



May 2012 Yogyakarta - Highlights

Some snapshots from the 3-day trip.

(1) This cat at the villa likes to cozy up to us. He has got beautiful eyes.

(2) At Sultan Palace and Water Castle, we had to buy a "photo permit" in order to take photographs

(3) The children in the mountains piled on more clothes as the night falls

(4) Borobudur Temple is one of the World Wonder Heritage

Our itnerary for the three days

Day 1 : We arrived at Yogyakarta Airport at 11.30AM. Our villa was only 30 minutes from the airport. We were able to check in very quickly. By then we were hungry so we decided to have lunch at Villa Hanis. After that, we called for a metered-taxi to take us to Jalan Malioboro. We also found a nice massage palour called "Kakiku" along the streets.

Day 2 : Our plan for the day was to visit Borobudur Temple and Mount Merapi. Our tour driver also took us to a massage palour and an interesting restaurant at the end of the day. We paid about IDR120,000 for an one-hour body massage (approximately SGD17!).

Day 3 : We brought tripods for this trip and we were determined to take some photos of sunset. The tour driver recommended that we should visit Sultan Palace and Water Castle "Taman Sari" in the morning. We visited Prambanan after lunch and stayed there until sunset. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day and we could not get any shots of the sunset.

Day 4: Rise and shine! We woke up at 4AM and began to get ready to go to the aiport. Our return flight to Singapore was 7.30AM. Air Asia is the only airline that flies direct from Singapore to Yogyakarta and they only have one return flight (YOG/SIN) per day.

The crafts that I brought on this trip

Canon 500D

Tokina f2.8 11-17mm

Canon f4.0 28-105mm

Tripod Canon S100

Get your brain moving!

Brain Lab

First try 

Updated on 13.5.2012 - Chin's score. Whahaha!!

The wanderlust

Just the other day, I was lamenting that I have no travel plans for this year. Due to work, I will not be able to continue with my plans of visiting USA in July. My little niece will be "arriving" anytime soon. Looks like I can only see her next year in Singapore instead.


Now I have plans! *big GRIN* In 3 days time, I will be travelling to Yogyakarta with Chin and Fionna. It is a pity that Pei Yek is unable to join us at the last minute. Chin suggested the place and later we got to understand that he has wanted to visit YOG for the longest time but cannot find any friends to go with him because there is a history of earthquakes and volcano erruptions *roll eyes* What a good friend LOL.

I think I will pack my luggage on Wednesday night and probably try to get an extra battery for my DSLR at the airport *cross fingers* And yes, it is going to be a photography trip!! I hope we will return with many good photos. I am trying very hard to find time to upload my photos from Suzhou (Oct 2011) and Krabi (Dec 2011).

Then in Jun, I will be in Batam with Timothy and Emily for massages and A&W. This is followed by a family trip to Hong Kong and maybe I will bring my Mom to Bangkok on a 2D3N shopping trip. The last time I brought her oveseas was in March 2008 to Hong Kong and Macau. It had since been a long while.

How I wish I can simply take 3 weeks off work to travel. Wistful thinking.

Study shows, taking email vacations can reduce stress!

Yahoo! News

I agree!! *raise both legs and hands*

Whenever I have a challenging deadline or task to complete, I turn off my email (Microsoft outlook). The email alerts stressed me out. By turning off the email, I feel that I can work more efficiently and effectively because I can concentrate just on getting the task done. Then, I reply to all the emails at one go.

The Company provides me with a Blackberry so that I can check emails at anywhere and anytime. However, this also becomes a habit for me to read emails on weekends and off days. Sometimes when I see an important email, it lingers on my mind and I feel uneasy because there is nothing much I can do until I return to office. Nowadays I restrict reading emails on blackberry only on weekday nights.  

Weekends are my email vacations.

Prayers for Indonesia

The headline shouts! Indonesia - a 8.6 magnitude earthquake was followed by an aftershock measuring 8.2. Earthquakes of this size has the potential to trigger a widespread destructive tsunami!

Both the 2004 and 2011 tsunamis are still fresh on my mind. Many lives were lost. Lets pray hard for indonesia and all her other neighbouring countries. Coincidentally, I will be going to Yogyakarta and a colleague of mine is going to Bali next month *Cross fingers*

Healing takes courage and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it. - Toris Amos

Accessory for S100

I specially had this accessory custom-made for my S100.

The little crown caught my eye at first glance.

Rawrrrrrr!

Tigger, I wish I can be like you! But it is only mid week LOL.

Back-dated post - I visited the Zoo with my family on New Year Day 2012. My last visit was 2 years ago with Fen and KK. And I left the Zoo with regrets as I only had a 18-55MM with me at that time. So this time, I brought along the 70-200MM and 24-105MM. Although they are very heavy and  I only used the telephoto lens to shoot the white tigers, I am glad I did.  *happy* No regrets now.

Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium

Admission Fee : S$ 6/- per adult

Address : Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway Sentosa Island Singapore 098269

The Maritime Experiential Museum and Aquarium features Southeast Asia’s maritime trade between the East and the West from the 9th to 19th century. It showcases more than 400 items of which Admiral Zheng He as he travelled along the Maritime Silk Route and visited different ports.

All abroad on Admiral Zheng He's massive Treasure Ship!



Admiral Zheng He

I was fascinated by this clock!

The Maritime Silk Route opened a world of new trading routes and promoted cultural exchanges. The overland Silk Route originated as far back as the Han dynasty and over time it has developed into an extensive network of trade routes of more than 4,000 miles across the Asian continent.

South-China-Sea Tradition is a hybrid vessel-type which combines structural features of Chinese and Southeast Asia origin. It was developed by Chinese merchants living in Thailand or other parts of Southeast Asia in the 13th century.

The souvenirs shop took up almost the whole of basement one.

We spent less an hour in the museum as we did not visit the Typhoon Theatre which is at an additional charge of S$6 for adult. This is the first and only museum in Singapore dedicated to showcase the history of ancient maritime trade. Definately a different experience!

I have new toys!

My new gadgets! *dances around*

Brunch is the only reason for waking up early on a weekends

IMG_7509, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

For the past 2 hours, I had been patiently uploading this one photo on blogger.....

Brunch @ Wild Honey!

I so love the pictures I took today! *big grin* Here's my favourite of them all.

Lens : Canon EF50mm f1.8