Xiu's Guide to JB (KSL)

Finally im done with my korean exams on the 6th Dec and promised my cousin that i will go shopping with her in JB on the 9th Dec!! HEHE~~ *wooohooooooos*

Before i start ranting about the pocket-friendly damages done in KSL, lemme give u some tips on hw to get into JB fast and some minor tips to take note in JB. 

**disclaimer: all these are my PERSONAL opinions**

a) What are the different ways to go to JB??? (other than driving in of cus~)

• SMRT Bus 950 from Woodlands Interchange
• SBS Bus 160 from Jurong East Bus Interchange
• SBS Bus 170 from Queen St via Kranji Mrt Station
• Cab in: but no one in the right mind will do that cus its super expensive???
• AC7 from Yishun Bus Interchange 

Well, for me, I used to go JB via SMRT Bus 950 (partly cus my ex stays in wlds area) and the checkpoint like in woodlands? *DUH~* BUT!! there is still ways to cheat to get to JB faster. Upon reaching the wlds checkpoint, i need to alight to sorta 'scan' ur passport to go thru the customs (usually i will walk extra fast and choose the lane with the fewest/no people. the trick is to walk to the back few lanes where ppl are usually too lazy to walk tt far and will rather queue at those lane at the front)

After im done with scanning of the passport, i will walk at god-like speed once again *typical Singaporean* to the bus terminal downstairs to reboard the bus. There's another trick here!! As i was still schooling at that time and i have bus concession, i need not board back the original 950 that i took in. I jus board which bus that is about the leave for the malaysia immigration, thus greatly shorten the waiting time ^^

BUT! ever since i knew of the existence of AC7, i bid goodbye to SMRT Bus 950 *waves goodbye~~* i was quite skeptical at first when i saw the brochure of it, but i still decided to give it a try with my cousin. The bus is PINK in colour, so u definitely wun missed it. Whereas for the cost, it cost SGD$2 to go in and RM$2 when coming out. Do some maths and you will realise that its around the same price as taking public transport in. The best part?? I CAN GET A SEAT AND ENJOY THE COMFORT!

For those of you who took 950/160/170 before, I believe you will know how squeeeeezy the bus is. but for AC7, i always get to chop a seat when boarding at Yishun Bus Interchange!! Hmmm, for the timing wise, im not very sure about it, but i usually take to 10.30am bus during the weekends in. the next good point? when returning back to singapore, i can enjoy the same comfy ride all the way back to Yishun. Isnt that fabulous?? My cousin and I fell in love with AC7 and nv took 950 again. LOLS!

b) How to get pass the customs fast??

IF you have bothered to read the above chunks of words carefully, I had already explained how to get pass the wlds immigration fast. if you missed it, scroll up and read again!! =P

Nw, how can we get pass the msia immigration fast?? as we, Singaporeans cannot use the automated machines, we definitely have to join in the queue to get our passport chopped. the trick is here: which counter/queue shld i join?? The standard answer if u , were to ask anyone, 90% will reply: the shortest queue. well, sad to say, but I'm one of the remaining 10% *bleahs*

my answer is: go to the queue with 2 counters serving the same queue. if u're a frequent traveller to msia, u would have noticed the special part about msia custom. Their counters are paired up and is organized in a zig zag manner. in short, if i were to draw 2 lines, one behind the other, counter 1&2 and counter 5&6 will be on line 1 and counter 3&4, on line 2. 

in short, i meant to say that: counter 1&2 each has its own queue as its located at the front line. Counter 3&4, which is located at the back line, has only ONE queue. with 2 counters serving the same queue, tell me, which queue will move faster?? i think the answer is quite obvious hor? hahaha~~ 

Once you passed the msia custom, CONGRATULATION! u're official overseas/abroad!! =.=

To proceed on to get the KSL, i will suggest that you guys can cab there. it ranges from 6-10 ringgit, depending on if the driver wans to go by meter or offer you a fixed price. i generally will suggest a cab if you guys are in grp of 4.

BUT for cheapo people like ME, i take the local bus in which costs me 1.50RM per pax. HAHA! u can find the bus at the bus interchange which is located underneath the link bridge to city square. There will be a notice board on the bus which read: TO KSL. if i nv rem wrongly, the bus ride takes about 20-30mins??? HAHA

c) Some survival tips (list is non-exhaustive)

• Dun go alone, always find someone to accompany you
• Dun wear lavishly (in another words: wear as lok kok as possible~)
• Dun ever count your money/accidentally show your $$$ in public
• Dun forget to zip up ur bag
• Do bring a huge recycle bag if you're gg in for some serious shopping~ jus dump everything inside so that u need not carry many small plastic bags~
• Do look out for each other~

_________________________________~the end~_____________________________________

HAHA! now its time to blog about my damages done to my pocket T.T

First up, lets talk about FOOD!!

Malaysia's Gardenia has way much more variety there as compared to Singapore! For instance, the waffle shown before and its only 0.60RM!!! it comes in the following flavours as well: chocolate, vanilla, butter maple, orange, blueberry and banana. i tried the choc one and its rili chocolately! and i got the banana de for my breakfast the next day! yums!

Next up, is a super old school snacks that i love to eat when i was a kid!!! TATA~~

now only certain places got sell!! was so happy when i saw it in one of the local favourite stalls in KSL and got it immediately. damages done to pocket: 1.60RM ^^

The noodles on the left are curry noodles which my colleague specially ask me to get it back for her! its mus b very nice i suppose!! and singapore doesnt sell this flavour yet!! i bought the extra spicy one for her as she loves to eat spicy food. mayb i shall get myself a packet the next time round to try too!! on the left, is another snack that i like to eat when i was a kid. it used to be sprinkled with sesame seeds! but i cant find those with sesame seeds alr! guess i have to settle for those w/o sesame seeds >.<

Next Up, is the stuff that i usually buy~~

damage done to pocket: 38RM

Well, this is a must buy everytime i go JB!! the multipurpose contact lens solution is way much cheaper when i get it in JB!! however, different optical shop sells at different price and the lowest i can find so far in KSL in 38RM. feel free to tell me if u manage to buy it at a better price somewhere else! (this is one of the reason why i mus bring a recycle bag to carry this ALLLL the way back to sg =.= 

Ever since i knew that my E2 korean teacher likes alicafe, everytime when i make a trip to JB, i will get a packet for her. now, wads the difference?? Msia alicafe is 5 in 1! it contains tongkat ali, thus is not sold in singapore! however, i realise korean rili love the 5 in 1 alicafe!! mayb of the ginseng?? hmmm....


Next up!! SKINCARE!!!

damage done to pocket: 78.80RM

This is another buy that i feel is worthy. cetaphil! this cleanser has been highly raved everytime: magazine, facebook, youtube, advertisement etc and im so tempted to try!! thus i went to their facebook page, liked it and got their sample. Verdict?? this cleanser is indeed gentle and is suitable for my combination skin!! a wonderful cleanser for my face in the morning when u dun wan something harsh for ur skin =) there is on-going promotion at Watsons Malaysia and this is the last set and i managed to grab it ~phew~ =D

damage done to pocket: 23.90RM each (30% discount)

My first product from its skin! been watching 2PM Show lately and fell in love with nichkhun!!! handsome guy, isnt he?? according to the saleperson, the aloe gel is their bestseller and its going 30% off!! it is suitable to use on hair scalp, face, body and leg as well. and thats the last 2 bottles left on the shelves!! so, i decided to get it to try and got the 2 bottles home~~ been tryin it for a few days now! it is indeed moisturising and is non sticky!! i usually apply it after my moisturiser and before my sunblock! 

and they gave me FREE masks as sample!! look at nichkhun face, OMG, shuai right?? MUHAHAHA~

damage done to pocket: 69RM

Dr Gowoonsesang! My all time favourite for BB cream! had been using Dr Jart before this but personally, i prefer Dr G to Dr Jart. got my first tube of Dr G from Gmarket. BUT ITS NOT SELLING NWWW T.T and singapore's sasa and watson is selling it at such a high price that i couldnt bring myself to buy!! nx alternative?? (instead of going korea to buy?) --> find in malaysia!

SO HAPPY when i saw it in SASA Malaysia and its on DISCOUNT!! the whole set cost 69RM and consists of: 1 x 45ml Dr G Brightening Balm, 1 x travel size Hydra Intensive Skin Mist and 2 x 15ml Perfect BB Peeling Gel. AND! i was lucky enough to get this set cus the salesperson at SASA told me that a customer actually reserved this set, but she din turn up to purchase it, so she let go and sell to me. Lucky boh?? HAHA!!

u can see the review for the above BB cream here: http://andyleemakeup.blogspot.sg/2009/01/gowoonsesang-brightening-balmbb-cream.html

damage done to pocket: 7RM

you must be thinking: HUH?? sunblock only 7RM? ARE YOU KIDDING???

hahaha, yes, i did spent jus 7RM to get this sunblock cus i redeemed my msia watsons point! its gg to expire on 31 Dec 12! mus as well make the full use outta it instead of letting it go wasted! the original retail price of this sunblock is ard 23RM if my memory din fail me. I decided to get this cus it states that it can cover pores and works well under makeup. no harm giving it a try! haha!!! 

Nx up, is my fav hair care brand: SOMANG!!

Personally I feel that the Beauty Credit here is Singapore is overpriced and i cant nv bring myself to get anything from the shop even thou i rili rili rili like it... T.T and when i walked past the beauty credit in malaysia, they are having a storewide 10% off!! i walked in immediately, came out being their member and with 114RM poorer. HAHA...tts typical trait of a girl i guess?? the multi therapy on the left is their latest hair range addition. it smells rili nice and it contains argan oil, which works wonder on the hair! tried it during a somang roadshow at nex and i loved it. price in sgd somang: 49.90SGD. price in msia somang: 66.90RM. OMG!!!!

Please focus your attention to the hairspray on the right! HAHA! this is my fav hair spray!! been using it for YEARS! smell nice and is used to keep my ever curly fringe, straight. my fren introduced this hairspray to me back in uni days. i can vaguely rem is was 12 a bottle..then one fine day, the salesgirl tell me that they are not able to get stock from korea alr, and i was T.T. 

the nx time i saw it, was in Korea's Olive Young. I got 5 bottles at one go (SGD$6/bottle) and tug it back to sgd. and my sister kope 2 away cus she say its rili good. oh wells~

the 3rd time i saw it, was in China's Yesa when i went for my grad trip. this time rd, i bought 4 bottles at a go (tts the only stock left) and it cost me SGD$8/bottle. i was so happy when i saw it until my fren think im crazy!! hahha!! now and then, when i learnt that my fren is gg korea, i will beg them to bring one bottle back for me. thus, to me, this hair spray is very special and i use it sparingly. HAHA!

the 4th time i saw it: Malaysia's Beauty Credit. was overwhelmed with joy! got 2 bottles (~SGD$10/bottle). my cousin think im crazy too cus i was like: look!! omg!! they got sell!! singapore selling the small bottle at SGD49.90!! in short. im very excited that i got another 2 bottles of hair spray! LOL!

HEHE!! look at the amount of samples i got from my msia haul! happy and contented with myself!! 

TADA~ end of this lengthy post!! Hope that the readers will gain some tips when gg to JB!!

i will be gg cruise from 16-19 Dec! Anna, dun miss me! wait for me to come back and do our jipaban post tgt!! HAHA! miss you loads~

-xxiuhuaa-