Thursday, September 19, 2019

Fighting Haze with Dyson Pure Cool

The Facebook feed of the average Singaporean is once again inundated with photos of blurry skylines with the keys words "haze", "Sumatra Fire" and "PSI". All of a sudden, it was like we were back in Genting, albeit minus the cool air but bundled with extra smoky flavour instead. It is so true that one often never appreciate what is available until it is gone. Wherefore art thou fresh air?

We know the general advisory for all of us when the haze gets bad, is to stay indoors. By saying that, it means one will also have to keep all the windows and doors pretty much closed to prevent the particulates in the air from getting into the house. That also meant you would probably rely on the fan or air-conditioning to stay sane. The filters in the fan coil units are really just meant to prevent too much dust from getting into the fan coils and does not remove particulates from the air!


The condition of the air may seem to be better indoors as compared to the open, but I am suspecting that it could simply mean human lungs are already filtering the particulates instead, if there isn't any air purifiers in the house! So the obvious thing one can do to improve the situation indoors, would be getting an air purifier to filter out the contaminants within the house. For that, we were lucky to have our latest addition in the house, our new Dyson Pure Cool Purifying Tower Fan TP04!



Ease Of Installation

I had only recently started using the Dyson Pure Cool a few days ago and it was all because of the hazy situation here in Singapore but here’s my take on this very intelligent piece of equipment after my few days of usage.

The Glass HEPA Filter.

The Inner Carbon Filter.

Simply put them together and fix it to the body. 

Came with a small remote control, but I had been using the app to control the unit since day 1 though.

First and foremost, it was really easy to fix up and I only referred to the printed manual after fixing up the different parts, just to double confirm. It is almost intuitive to install, only requiring user to fix the filter parts and outer casing, and without any need for screws etc. Everything just fits in perfectly.



Dyson Link App

All electronics these days are SMART and often required WiFi connection and this is no difference. The real-time monitoring and remote access control ability when it is connected to my home WiFi was really cool. The app is able to report the temperature, humidity and the contaminants present in the house, in real time, wherever I may be.

This is how the control looks like in the app.

These days, knowing how bad the air is in my house, I will switch it on remotely so that by the time we get home from work, the air would become much cleaner in our room. While this is great, but knowing the exact level of particulate matter (PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the house can take its toll on health freaks by stressing them out!

The air quality can be pretty bad even though it is indoors. You can slowly see how it improves when the unit is switched on and we can sleep peacefully in the green zone.

But I am loving how the app also have the step-by-step instructions on how to use the machine, do simple maintenance or replacements and even shows you when you needed to change the filters!



Performance

While I have no doubts on its ability to detect and remove  air contaminants effectively in the room, one can be a little disappointed with the strength of the air flow if one expects the same feel from your conventional bladed fans.

Sleek modern look that most would appreciate.

It definitely cools but it certainly does not blow me (or my hair) away with its breeze, and can even get a little noisy when turned on at the highest power. Having said that I would still choose this over any of my current fans anytime for its air purification and safety, after having caught my youngest Starri trying to poke her fingers through my old fan cover more than once!

Bladeless and thus very safe indeed.

I do have an air-purifier at home but it is just a basic branded model that one just turns on and just assume it to be working. It doesn’t give me the type of control nor provide me with the detailed data that the Dyson Link app does, for me to have the peace of mind that I am providing the best for the kiddos and for the family.



Our Verdict

We had been living with repeated haze situations for the longest time and are generally quite foolhardy. It is almost like what we don't know, won't hurt us. But I really cannot say the same for the little ones whose lungs are not even fully developed or those with compromised health due to illnesses.

There are many brands of air purifiers in the market of varying prices, but if cost is not a concern, this would be the recommended product for any house. It is afterall a premium product (as if any product from Dyson isn't?) and having checked out the functionalities myself, is price-justified as well.


I just checked out their online store and found out that you can get $300 off when you purchase the bundle of 2 x Dyson Pure Cool Purifying Tower Fan TP04 which seems like a pretty good deal especially when one unit is not enough for the family anyway! You should check out on the deal here.



Disclosure: We received a unit of Dyson Pure Cool Purifying Tower Fan TP04 for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received and all views and images remains ours.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Toy-Catching: My Addiction

The purpose of this entry is really my own rationalization for my addiction and something to remind myself on the need to exercise more self-control. A note to self. You would have noticed a proliferation of claw machines popping up everywhere these days. From single machines at neighbourhood shophouses, to rows of colourful blinking lights along walkways beckoning one to try, and now we have a few operators becoming anchor tenants at the shopping malls! So what is happening here?

Just a quick snap of a small portion of my few months of playing.

This scene was reminiscent of what happened more than a decade ago, when some HDB shophouses were rented solely to house claw machines for customers to play and they were doing a really bustling business "selling" cheap China-made soft toys at prices way beyond what any normal person would reasonably pay for at the retail shops. But people were still happy to patronize, maybe because some operators were really friendly or the lure of the next catch was strong but most importantly, the excitement when one is playing. There is a also a slim chance of you getting it cheaper than what the toy is actually worth. In other words, it is a gamble and the thrill is deadly.

I was already addicted once back in 2008 when Steffi was barely a few months old but stopped after a year or two and that was followed by the decline in toy-catching craze and the closure of many small operators. So what we are seeing now in year 2019, is a resurgence and they are back in full force. Some operators go the mass market way of cheap non-licensed items that are easily caught while others go the premium route of having authentic products but with harder game plays that cost much more.

From my own experience, it is usually the case whereby one is lulled into easy wins at the pasar malam stores before progressing to the "expert" levels. All being equal, having prior experience with the same setup, thinking out of the box at times, plus knowing your physics does give one an advantage. But you need to know the hard truth is, whether one is able to catch anything from the machines, really lies in the hand of the one who sets up the machines. To many, I may seem like an "expert" toy-catcher but I must quantify that I only play more than most people, and am totally not an expert at all, because the real expert knows when to stop, especially on days when the set up is for players to fail due to earlier payouts.

I am really a miser when it comes to spending money for anything and would calculate and ensure the best value for money before making any purchases. And yet I am such a loser now, paying so much for some of the toys that one can buy cheaper off the racks just for the thrill at the moment. The feeling is so much akin to playing those jackpot machines. I know, because I was once very much addicted to gambling at the casinos. I console myself that when I lose at the casino, I lose everything but for toy-catching, I would at least bring back some toys. 

However I find it really alarming that I am spending way too much money these days on these machines and feels very ashamed now, hence this post. I know I needed to stop but the excitement and adrenaline rush when playing the machines kept me going back for more. The worst thing is, there are even toy-catching apps for the days I cannot be out physically. I needed to stop. Period. 

It is all fine and dandy if one only passes by these machines occasionally and spends a few dollars just for the fun of it. However when one reaches my level of addiction and is always thinking about playing, then help is needed. So please stop me if you happen to see me at the arcades and tell me off in my face! But if you are just as addicted as me, always thinking of playing but yet not knowing what to do with all the toys, and often feel sad when tallying up all the money spent, let's do it together and stop! Toy-catching is really not as innocent as it may seem. 

Sunday, September 1, 2019

The Mermicornos Returns To River Safari

[Media Invite + Giveaway]

We visited River Safari yesterday morning to check out the Mermicornos for all you tokidoki fans first and I tell you hor, visiting the river inhabitants had never been more rewarding! During the first tokidoki x River Safari event last year, we managed to collect the full set of Mermicorno pins over 5 weeks and this year, there are even more pins to collect over an extended 8 weeks. And guess what? Some of the resident animals in River Safari are forever immortalized as "tokidoki-fied" mascots onto these collectible pins!

Huge backdrop for your group photos!

So when you are visiting the River Safari this September or October weekends, remember to grab and complete the River Gem Trail activity sheet (one per guest and conditions apply) to collect your limited edition pin for that weekend! Those with annual pass must definitely make full use lor while those without can really consider getting a Friend of Wildlife membership at 10% off with promo code [FOWSEP19] when you sign up before 30 Sep 2019 ends. 


The September pins!

October pins!

The first 4 September pins + ez-link card!

So let me fill you in on the additional stuff (besides the pins!) you can find when you visit the River Safari this coming 8 weekends. There will lots and lots of tokidoki stuff all over the place, with many huge tokidoki sculptures for you to take photographs and be rewarded for it as well when you post them onto your Instagram account publicly! Stand to win Manatee Mania tour + River Safari tickets (2 adult + 2 children) + exclusive tokidoki x River Safari ez-link cards worth a total of over $500 when you post the photo carousel of all the new 7 tokidoki x River Safari animals sculptures around the park! So be creative and win!





Then you can also find mermaids swimming alongside the original "mermaids" in the Amazon Flooded Forest over the selected weekends in their 20 mins shows. Only threes shows daily, at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm only. If the heats get to you, Udders will save your day too, as they will be selling their very delicious ice-cream cups at the Giant Panda Courtyard. The tokidoki fan in you will not be able to resist the cute exclusive merchandise at the gift shops too!

Graceful mermaid swimming amongst the manatees!

One of the original "mermaids"!

Check out the exclusive cuties!

Yummy Udders ice-cream sold at Giant Panda Courtyard on weekends!

And now, we are also very happy to partner River Safari in hosting a giveaway of one set of admission tickets to River Safari (2 adults + 2 children) + the exclusive tokidoki x River Safari ez-link card to 2 lucky families on Facebook! Complete the following steps before Fri, 06 Sept 2019 and keep your fingers crossed!

1) Like and follow Wildlife Reserves Singapore FB page;
2) Like and follow The "Perfect" Father FB page;
3) Like and share this FB giveaway post publicly with the captions "Win River Safari admission tickets for 4 + an exclusive tokidoki x River Safari ez-link card"; and
4) Comment once done and share why you should win the giveaway!

Go check out Wildlife Reserves Singapore's official webpage on this special September / October event! In case you are wondering on how to get the super cute ez-link cards, there are only 3 ways that I am aware. One is to sign up for the Friend of Wildlife membership, or you can sign up for the Manatee Mania Tour, and lastly, take part in our giveaway!