Ways to shop for christmas..well MY way that is...

Well guys, it's the time of year again. Christmas. 

Have you started your christmas shopping yet? 

Its almost the end of november and in a week's time it is December. 

What about me? you ask. Well I haven't either. 

But with school, work, a thought of how "december is a month away" and my laziness,

I just couldn't be bothered to start shopping early. 

Hence, I came up with some hacks or rather strategies to shop for people like me. 

Where you just keep putting off the idea of "shopping for gifts" to the last minute.

                        

1. Set a date to shop

Block a day in your calendar to shop. By setting a date to shop, you will be motivated to go out that day because you already planned it and you can't give yourself any excuse because you blocked an entire day for it. 

2. Plan your presents ahead 

Planning is key if you want to save time and get away from the shopping crowd as fast as possible. 

List the things your friend might like and circle the the things you want to buy for them. Knowing what you want to buy for your friends will save time for you rather then just walking back and forth in a mall. If you are unsure what to get for you friend looking at the list, write down the stall(s) you think might have gifts your friends might want and go straight to that stall to find a gift. 

3. Pick a mall 

Try to pick one mall that has every shop that suits the people you want to buy presents for (e.g. Vivocity). If you really cant think of a gift for your friends, by choosing a mall that has everything, will save you on transportation. 

4. Get friends to shop with you 

Shopping by yourself might allow you to wrap things faster, however it is always good to have another opinion on the things you want to get.

                                    

5. Dont leave wrapping to the last minute 

If you know you won't have the time to wrap the gifts, get the store to wrap them. Some malls offer free wrapping if you buy until a certain amount (another perks of shopping in one mall). Also, shops like kinnokuniya offers free wrapping services, therefore if you have no time to wrap you can consider going to these stalls to get your presents! 

6. Wait till christmas sale starts 

I leave my shopping till  December due to 1 reason -Christmas Sales. You can get things cheaper at some stalls and even some online sites. Also, if you own credit cards, things may be cheaper as well at some stalls. Therefore, always. ALWAYS wait for christmas sales (but of course do not wait till the day before christmas to buy stuffs) 

                                  

7. Look to online sites for small gifts 

Really out of time or need to buy small gifts for a bunch of people? Take a look at Taobao or Qoo10. 

Tao bao is a really good place to look at when you have to buy gifts for a lot of people because things are costed in 'yuan' which is cheaper than in singapore. And also, the site has everything under the sun so it will cater to all the gift ideas you have. However, the downside is that you need to know how to read in chinese and you would need to order early for it to arrive before christmas cuz shipping takes time especially if it is via ship. (probably at least 1-2 weeks before x'mas) 

If you are out of time but still want to save a couple bucks OR you need to buy things in bulk, go for Qoo10. They have offers at times when you order in bulk and some things are cheaper at certain times of the day/week. Also, they sell make-up/beauty products cheaper then retail stores (at most cases).  However, do take note of the delivery time as well and also read the reviews so that you get what you pay for. 

                                       

8. Last minute resort- Homemade gifts 

If you really don't want to mingle with the christmas crowd to shop, try making home-made gifts. 

Drop by ikea where you can get jars, frames and other crafts stuff to make something. Spotlight is an ideal place as well however, it could be a tad bit expensive. 

Something I made last year was a mix disc and it got a good response among my friends. So, you could consider that for a small gift. Sharing the gift of music never goes wrong 

To get inspired, check out sites like pintrest, iheartnaptime, the 36th avenue, The gunny sack

Personally, I love the gunny sack's idea especially as a personalized gift for your friend. 

So! That is all for my tips and tricks to shopping for christmas and I hope at least 1 point is helpful for you. 

Let me know if you have any other idea or tricks to shopping for christmas! 

Cheers and happy shopping :) 

P.s Some other sites regarding christmas hacks that I like. Check 'em out! 

10 life hacks you need to know for christmas- Instructables 

Gift wrapping tips and tricks- Business insider

Gift Guide- Buzzfeed  

Then and Now

I was on the train the other day to Tanjong Pagar when I just glanced out the window on the way to Clementi. 

There was a temple with a huge Buddha statue and behind that was the holding school that I used to attend when my primary school was under construction. Or should I say it used to be behind the temple. 

When I passed by that day, behind the temple stood two tall buildings of what looked like a HDB. I tried to see if the holding school was still there or was torn down but the train kept moving and I couldn’t see it.

As I passed it, I suddenly thought to myself how much time has passed and how much Singapore changed. Just 11 years ago when I studied there, I could still see the train passing by from the open field in that school when I had PE.

Looking back at Singapore as a whole, I realised Singapore changed so much. 

Where gardens by the bay stands today used to be a park where my parents brought me to cycle on the weekends when I was 7. There wasn’t an ION mall when I was 10 and big splash at East Coast still boasted its slide whenever I passed it. (Though I remember it being closed whenever I went past it.)Heck, Queensway’s cinema was still there whenever I passed by it and I remember when I was very young, it had a billboard painted and left outside though there wasn’t any movie playing inside.

But as Singapore evolves into a globalized city, it would mean that we need to “upgrade” our city as well and the places that are forgotten would be taken down one by one. 

However, little do we know that these places that are forgotten still holds memory to some of us and only when the media reports that it is going to be taken down or demolished do we realise ‘oh…’. We always assume something would be there, however when we try to revisit it 5 years down the road we realise a huge brand new building has replaced the one that held you memories

It isn’t just buildings. Our transportation has also evolved a lot in just a mere 13 years. When I was in Primary 1, there was only 2 lines Red and Green. But now, we have Red, Green, Purple, Yellow and Dark Blue. (I go by colors because I can’t seem to remember their read names…as you can tell I’m not good with directions)

Though we moan and groan about the speed of the train or how the buses isn't coming when you are rushing for a meeting, take a step back and compare it to the past. 

Our buses has also became so efficient! With the ez link card and buses coming every 15 minutes or so, it has changed so much to keep up with the fast-paced life we lead. (we don't even have to push the button nor figure out how much we need to pay to go to a certain place cuz the machine counts it for us now) 

Do you remember this? Do you remember what it used to do?
Took this one day when I was on the bus. Gotta take it before it disappears!

 

Photo Credit: Google Images

I don’t know if it is just me but I felt that in the past, time seemed to go slower. Now, it feels like time goes to fast that you’d think “shit. Did 24 hours just passed?”

I’m not sure if it is because I’m now all grown up and my life revolves around deadlines, deadlines and more deadlines. But it seemed like the sun stayed out long enough for me to enjoy myself.

But one thing is for sure. Change is needed as people are evolving now and the society around us is always improving. I am definitely one that supports having these changes around but its just a bit hard to believe how fast things are changing.

It kinds of scares me at times but I still look forward to see how much our country will change in the next 10 years. Not only our country but the world as well.

Maybe in my next post, I should talk about the habits and things that changed over the 10 years or so.

Till then, how about re-visiting that place you grew up at or a place you used to hang out after school (whether primary or secondary) and see if it is still there.

Cheers.