Holiday Destinations - Budget Beach Weekend Getaway!

Ok. So I'm planning for an idyllic weekend getaway. But since it is only for a short weekend, it would be nice if it is also value for money.

So, I came across an article with the title "15 Incredible Malaysian Beaches to get to under SGD150"

15 Incredible Malaysian Beaches to get to under $150 SGD - See more at: http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/15-incredible-malaysian-beaches#sthash.WBDWwHT7.dpuf

15 Incredible Malaysian Beaches to get to under $150 SGD - See more at: http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/15-incredible-malaysian-beaches#sthash.WBDWwHT7.dpuf

15 Incredible Malaysian Beaches to get to under $150 SGD - See more at: http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/15-incredible-malaysian-beaches#sthash.WBDWwHT7.dpuf

15 Incredible Malaysian Beaches to get to under $150 SGD - See more at: http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/15-incredible-malaysian-beaches#sthash.WBDWwHT7.dpuf

hxxp://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/15-incredible-malaysian-beaches (please change the xx to tt to access website)

I'm always on the lookout for budget holiday destinations to search for good deals. But the cost stated are incredibly misleading because only transport costs are cheap but the total trip cost turns out to be rather expensive due to the cost of staying and dining at the beaches and islands. If you are trying to find a hidden gem of a vacation spot, you're completely on the wrong track - any information that you can find online is already mainstream.

"... for the budget concious (sic), we've also decided to show you how it can be extremely cheap to go there"






Well, you are right about how cheap it is to go there, as long as you do not need to drink, eat or stay in a reasonably furnished accommodation. The basic necessities on islands are marked up like hell because you are essentially at their mercy and have no other choices If it sounds sensational and too good to be true, it probably is. To be fair, the words "budget", "amazing" and "beach" rarely go together. If you manage to find a location with these 3 characteristics, do cherish it as it won't stay that way for too long.

Tabac Original Shaving Soap

After having tried wet shaving with a Dual Edge razor for about 4 months now, I feel that a large part of the shaving experience comes from the preparation. It is a slow, manual procedure that adds up to the enjoyment of shaving.

The preparation starts right from taking a shower. Having prolonged exposure to moisture softens hairs, making them softer and easier to cut than dry hairs. Also, the skin stays moist longer, allowing your shaving foam/gel/cream/soap to stay slippery for the razor to glide smoothly across your skin. This contributes to a consistent blade pressure on your skin.

My first shaving soap is a Tabac. It comes in a "stick" form - similar to a deodorant stick. The stick design eliminates the need to lather with a shaving bowl. You splash some water on your face and roll the stick in circular motion around the areas you want to shave, next, use a shaving brush to swirl up the soapy foam. For best results, first prepare the brush beforehand by soaking it in a small cup of water to soften the bristles.

The result should be a rich foamy lather that covers the lower half of your face. Having a slippery lather makes a big difference in the shaving experience to both traditional and modern cartridge razor compared to not having any. Moreover, being a soap, it does double duty in protecting and cleaning your face at the same time.

The only downside about the soap is it's traditional scent, which is very different from what we encounter in this day and age. Probably not everyone can appreciate its smell.

 The soap after several uses.

The Tabac shaving soap is well reviewed by many users for its ease of lathering and richness of the soap. Although it is slightly higher priced average shaving soaps, it is still only $10 for a 100g stick. The scent is not too bad, but it is different. If you are able to live with the scent, you'll enjoy a rather premium shave with the convenience of a stick.

Edit: I missed out an important point about this shaving soap. It is important to add a generous amount of soap on your face to achieve a long lasting slick lather on your skin. The lather dissipate when too much water is added, but your skin can definitely tell as a single stroke would remove all the slickness away, leaving a dry clean surface that will make it hard to glide on.

Renault Twizy and its impact on Singapore

The Renault Twizy is Renault's shot at a no-frills electric car suitable for sweeping through the city. Taking away most of the luxuries found in a normal car, the Twizy achieve a very nice balance between battery range, power and price.

In car crazy Singapore, car demand had pushed Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices sky high and this is starting to take effect on motorcycle COE prices. People who worked hard for many years only to find that they are priced out in the recent COE bidding might be turning towards motorcycles, a category of personal transport often regarded as dangerous.

Recent news reports (Yahoo! News), had people holding their breaths as the authorities decide whether to place the Twizy into the motorcycle or the car category. This decision would have a large impact ($75,000 difference) on the selling price of the Twizy.


Twizy as a motorcycle
Most reports reckon that if placed in the motorcycle category, the Twizy would cost about $25,000, putting it in the same price range as the Chinese made 4-seater Cherry QQ a few years ago. This price range is no longer heard of due to the extreme COE prices. A typical Japanese hatchback costs upwards of $100,000. A $25,000 price tag will likely be a hit with Singaporeans and you can bet that motorcycle COE prices will skyrocket as more people buy the Twizy since they can finally afford a "car" or as a 2nd vehicle for their daily runabouts.

Personally, as an average Singaporean, the Twizy at $25,000 would be the only car that I can afford. My workplace isn't that far from my house and the Twizy's 100km range can take the occasional extra trip to the far ends of Singapore if I needed it to, making it the perfect everyday use vehicle.

Unfortunately, the skyrocketing motorcycle COE will impact the sales of small motorcycles as the COE price may be several times higher than the motorcycle itself. This would be inequitable to the lower income folks as they too will be priced out from their only form of private transport available to them, widening the gap between those who can and cannot afford private transport.

On another note, it would be very strange to make motorcycle learners take tests for motorcycle and then plunge them straight into a twizy.


Twizy as a car
However, if placed in the car category, the Twizy instantly costs a whopping $100,000, immediately eliminating all its advantages and rendering it as an extremely overpriced toy for the rich. Personally, it is likely that the Twizy will be classified as a car because it resembles a car and drives like a car. In UK, this is also classified as a car, however, there is no exorbitant COE to complicate things and it costs about 7,000pounds.

At $100,000, you might as well use the money to pay off your mortgage loan since housing in Singapore is also painfully expensive or you might prefer to top up another $20,000 to get a normal car.

End note
I would really like to see the Twizy be classified as a motorcycle, but that would be selfish to real motorcycle buyers. However, if it does end up classified as a car, then it signifies the state's reluctance to promote any form of private vehicle ownership despite its green credentials.

What most news report speculate is the creation of some subsidy framework to acknowledge the small size and environmental footprint of such cars, which sounds reasonable to me as well. However, my soul is prepared that the Twizy may very well cost upwards of $50,000.