Dinotrek & Petrosains (11.07.09)

sheesh! i should have posted this long ago. but procrastination caused me the delay.

i’ve never been to Petrosains even though it has been opened for almost a decade.

since Chun’s birthday is coming soon, GF and i might as well bring him there. but deep inside, i know that i’m the one who really wanted to go there. haha!

anyway, we were asked to proceed to Dinotrek first upon buying our tickets.

Dino trek is actually not that big. estimated time there is only 45 minutes. but it is good fun there. lots of interactive games and big dinos. but dun expect to play the games as there’s a lot of kids there…

anyway, here are some of the photos:

one of the interactive games. btw, i’m NOT the father of the kid, k? haha!

Skull of a T-Rex. but it’s not the skull that interest me. instead, it’s the young couple. Petrosains will be the last place that i wanted to go for a date. or is it their last choice? haha!

Ooo… dead dino

who cares about other dino? we only want to see T-Rex!!!

and yes, they move – VIOLENTLY too! even chun got scared (scaredy cat!)

up close and personal…

archeologists in the making.

after Dinotrek, the next place to go is Petrosains. this is where the fun part begins. in order to go there, we have to take a small ride with presentations in between. it’s cool actually,

the next thing, we were transported to a new world.

lots of games and things to explore. photos ahead…

one of the many games

want to know how air smells like during the prehistoric time?

i think this photo will give you an idea.

wondering why i’m forcing him into this machine?

so that he can be an astronaut. cool!!!

this game is not meant for kids. it’s bloody hard to play!

the only thing that i wanted to take photos with

this air chamber is the most fun thing to play with! the air just gets gradually stronger to mimic a hurricane. got out in the middle of it coz the wind was very strong and cold!!!

there’s one place that we didn’t really take photos – the oil drill site. what is Petrosains without oil rigs right?

unfortunately, we were tired (at least my GF and i were) and we have an appointment at that time too. so we kinda rushed a bit. plus since it was weekends and there was a group of school kids there, it makes us restless too coz the kids are noisy and wrecking everything that their eyes sees.

that makes us wanted to leave more.

but anyway, this is a great place to go regardless of age and we will definitely go there again and take our time to read everything. just make sure we have at least 3 ohurs to spend in Petrosains ALONE!

and of course, no school kids at that time please…

Part time job as an insurance agent

with all the commitments and for the future as well. i have been thinking of getting a side income.

where to start, what to do?

should we start to bake pastries and try to test the market?

or sell apparel?

or maybe becoming a part time insurance agent, which my friend had asked me to do all this while.

yes, i am open to all kinds of option. even as an agent.

from what i can see, the sky is your limit. but do i have what it takes to become one?

yes, training is available and there will be people to coach you. but can i really do it?

am i too scared to disappoint myself?

i blame it for my lack of self-confidence…

It is so near yet so far!

Sigh.... we are so close in purchasing that apartment....
never thought another buyer offered the owner a higher price ( rm5K higher)...
i will not blame the owner though. it's logical for him to sell to whom ever who offers a higher price.
seems that it's not meant to be ours...
hmmmm..... it's ok.
let's start hunting again! All the best to us!!

buying a house…

…is one hell lot of work. not to mention involves a lot of work. and also the most important thing – MONEY.

which translates into one big word – HEADACHE!!!

the headache starts the moment you planned to get one.

finding a house that you like is one thing. finding a house that you like AND you can afford is another thing. will we be able to pay for the downpayment? will we be able to pay for the monthly installments, plus the maintenance fee and the utility bills for the next 30 years?

which means there were countless hours of going through the newspapers, looking around banners, asking friends/family for any good properties and asking agents.

next thing is to see if there any anomaly in the building. if there is, we will have to ask the respective experts as whether the building is safe to occupy or not.

then, it will be the security of the area. is it safe? is the crime rate high in the area? how was the security there?

once everything is A OK, proceed to purchase the house from the owner or developer.

ok, this is just the beginning. the next part will really involve in parting of our hard-earned money…

once (or before) the Sales and Purchase Agreement has been signed (not to mention paying 2% of downpayment), it’s time for the mad scramble of finding the right loan from the right bank.

if comparing the rates that the bank is giving you heading, wait till you see the kazillion products that the offer. you’ll be eating double doses of painkillers that you normally take…

which type of loans to take? conventional or Islamic? fixed or variable? or both (if any)? easy entry cost or non-easy entry cost? how about the Insurance? MRTA or MLTA?

the list goes on…

and yeah, i’m currently at the above dilemma. the jargons that they use are so complicated… it’s like you need a Master in Rocket Science to comprehend it.

and of course, applying it will not guarantee that your loan application will be approved. just hope that our bank accounts are healthy and the powers-to-be will approve it.

if everything goes right, will have to pay for the rest of the downpayment (8%). and also the legal fees, which cost around RM3K (if i don’t want the Bank to absorb it) and also SPA fees which also cost around RM3K.

and the rest is history. we will be in debt of the next 30 years or so…

it’s all about the money.

not to mention headaches…