Buyandship https://www.buyandship.com.my/ is my favourite shipping company currently, mainly cos their shipping charge is weight based, and not volumetric (which other company like comgateway etc is using). MyUS is other which is weight based charging as well, and i remembered it not bad as well, but they have monthly membership charge of around $10 which I am not keen on, as I don’t buy on regular basis.

Currently buyandship.com.my charge is RM22 per pound(lb) using Quantum Solutions for duty unpaid, you can use this if your items cost + buyandship logistic cost < RM500. If it is more than RM500, you should use RM26 per pound(lb) via SkyNet whereby they will handle the taxes, and you don’t need to pay any taxes yourself.

Volumetric charging is very good if you are buying items with large dimension like shoes which comes in boxes

Below and actual example where I bought a few pair of shoes, using volumetric calculation, I would be charged 13lb of shipping fee RM 338, but buyandship weight based charging only cost RM182

Volumetric charging:
Width * length * height=(32*50*18)/5000=5.76kg=12.7lb

Weight based charging:
Total items weight 3kg=6.6lb
Paid 7lb=RM182

How it works:

1. You buy item from US sites and have it delivered to B&S warehouse in US.
2. When you get the tracking number from the US shopping site, remember to update the tracking number details into B&S website
3. Once it reach their warehouse, you will receive an email titled “Shipment Updates” notifying you that they have receive it in their US warehouse
4. Thereafter, it will take around 7-11 days for the items to reach their HK warehouse, whereby you will receive an email “Shipment ready for consolidation”, at this stage, you can make payment.
5. After payment, it takes 5-8 days(including weekends) after to receive the item. Prior to receiving it(around 2 days), you will receive email titled “Order ready for delivery”.
6. On a occasion I paid B&S on Friday 5pm, skynet delivered to my house at 11am Wednesday (when Tuesday was holiday) (~6 days)
7. On another occasion where I use Quantum Solution(via B&S), paid Sunday 8am, delivered on Thurs 1pm. (~ 5 days)
8. So overall, it takes about 11 – 19 days from the item reaching B&S US house, to parcel being delivered to your house. You will need to add the shipping time from US site to B&S US warehouse, assuming takes within 10 days, so total from paying in US website to receiving the parcel could be around 21 to 29 days.

Always heard of ppl got scam, my mum got scammed 5k for being told I got kidnapped around 10 years back, then my relative got scammed 30k for being told Bukit Aman captured their son with drug in it and will face death penalty. And now I experience personally being scammed. Early this year, I received a call while driving, they say I got some points and I can get free internet, and I just got to provide them the number which will be sent to my SMS. I ask them what I need to pay, and they say no need to pay, so I guess why not, but told them I am driving, then they ask when they can call me, and I told them 30mins. Normally when banks call me for bank deals etc, I will reject them and end the call, it just didn’t click that it is possibly to get scammed for my hotlink, some more my hotlink is prepaid, what can be scammed, seriously, but I was wrong…

So, they called me around 30mins later, and told me I need to provide them 3 numbers, I stupidly gave them 2 number, not realising that is TAC, like those for internet banking. So nothing happens after I gave them the first TAC, but after the 2nd TAC, I got the most bottom message in picture below, whereby it say I have shared RM50 with a number. I freak out and scold him to return me RM50, he (a Malay) still continues to talk to me as if he is hotlink, trying to convince me I am not scammed, I hang up, and he call, I shouted at him to return me RM50, and he still persist to talk eerily calm as if he will give me free internet bla bla, and that he is from hotlink… This go on for maybe 5 or 6 times where he try to call me back to me, and I hang up… I know I am scammed but still have no clue how he can scam me.

If you see below first msg (ask a top up) which was performed earlier of the day that I was scammed, I only saw it after the incident, I think it is some method for them to detect whether a phone number is a hotlink prepaid account.

Then I received below msg saying I am given RM5. So, this act as a double weapon. Firstly, it is like wow, they give me RM5(I assume some may confused money taken out, but oh they can pay us back), but do note Hotlink should definitely upgrade their sms message to indicate the TAC is for what purpose, and also below RM5 is actually hotlink SOS Top-up, whereby SOS-top-up is mostly we will pay hotlink RM5 to activate the phone line when our line is inactive(due to haven’t top up monthly RM30), and this will be deducted when you next  top up. Example, if you top up RM30 after that, RM6.25 will be deducted. The msg didn’t indicate it is SOS top up at all!!!!! Hotlink, are u trying to help scammer to scam us???

After the RM5 “returned”, I got 2 notification that 2 internet plans are given me. So I got the clue that scammer must be somehow using hotlink app to scam me cos I often use app to buy internet plan.

I open my hotlink app and found hotlink customer service number and frantically told them I am scammed, they advise me to logout my hotlink app, thereafter scammer’s hotlink app will log out as well, and will require new TAC to relogin. So I log out and log myself back in, and tested the app on how scammer might have done it. My finding is first TAC allow them to login my hotlink app, 2nd TAC allow them to share-a-topup of RM50 to Xfer out of my hotlink acct, I still have some balance in my hotlink, not sure maybe they will do another share-a-topup if I gave them the 3rd TAC.

And I have reported the incident to hotlink (call them at 123). Below they sent me SMS of the report number. They are quite efficient to call me around 3 days after issue reported. Basically, they told me it is my fault of giving others TAC, they did refund me back RM15 as I request that I didn’t use those 2 internet plan the scammer “bought for me”, and maxis graciously refund me, but the RM50 is considered gone(hotlink asked me to call the number to request back and if they threaten me I can make police report, but I don’t bother), I would have ask maxis to refund me RM6.25 of SOS top up as well, but I realised it is SOS much later(I tot the scammer did pay me back RM5).

Conclusion, if you are hotlink app, and receives msg like above, dun be too happy that you are given RM5 and “free” internet plan, cos your hotlink app is probably compromised and scammer is using your own credit to buy you internet plan, so do install hotlink app, login and logout so scammer side will log out as well, and I learnt my lesson not to share TAC even though this is not bank, but hotlink

1) Photoshoot
I visited Keep Gallery & Very Taipei mainly cos 2 of my friend had it done on each one of the shop. But as i mainly looking for button back wedding dress which i am very keen on. Therefore, any bridal shop having such dress is my top pick, which unfortunately not many. I tried on one button back dress in WeddingAisle, which is the first shop i went before visiting KeepGallery/Very Taipei, i like it a lot, or so i thought, and after that went to Keep Gallery SS2 later of the day, which coincidently they have ONE button back dress, i tried it and love it, so did my fiance. The WeddingAisle one paled in comparison. Actually we wanted to visit Very Taipei after that, on that same day, but the Keep Gallery sales personnel keep on pushing me to sign with them, their package includes all the necessary <only exclude nude bra & body foundation> is only RM3999. Not the cheapest, but i think it is reasonable price, and plus they have the dress i wanted… End of talking till closing time – 8pm and as i am not comfortable to sign package on the same day of visiting the shop, and with the first bridal shop i visited, so we left the shop without signing, i think the sales person is very tired and frustrated on us not signing on the day itself, and i can sense myself having physical headache from being “pressured” like that as well. So we told them, we will look around next day which is a Sunday, if we can’t find anything better, we will sign with them. Long story short, i went to a few other bridal shop, NONE of the shop have button back, they may have some fake button back, ie the button are decorative, and not those which and button/unbutton kind, NONE! So, i ended up signing with Keep Gallery and booking this particular button back dress, the ONLY ONE which they are having. I had a peek at the label, it is designed by Alice Ngoo, a local Malaysia designer, do look her up as i find her dresses, those shown her FB/Insta are quite nice.

Overall, i am satisfy with Keep Gallery, there is no extra charges, no topping up to get so called premium/new dress. I think it all depends. My friend bought the package 1 or 2 years back with them, and she say don’t have many dress selection in Keep Gallery, which i am not quite sure what she means cos i not really went to other bridal shop… Anyway, she suspect it is due to her height, which she say is short, but she is not that short, should be above 160cm, so i think it is how you negotiate with the sales person, best is maybe look and pick the actual day dress <which is most often what you need to pay extra for> even before you sign the package. For me, it is quite easy, i want a button back dress, i will most probably sign with the particular bridal shop if they have it for me. It is good this way as well, as bridal shop normally will only let u pick the actual day dress 2 months before, could due bride’s weight fluctuate quite a bit and it is better that you don’t choose too earlier. For me, i choose it before i sign the package, which is 6 months before actual day, so one less thing to do nearing the wedding date. Yeah

For those who haven’t sign any wedding package, you may try checking out Alice Ngoo, as they do rent out gown, their shop is at 85-1 Jalan Metro Perdana 1, Taman Usahawan Kepong 52100 KL. I find my dress from Keep Gallery which is labelled Alice Ngoo, so you might find something you like from her shop…

2) Invitation card DIY design

I used gogoprint, 100 pcs 5×7 inches card only RM85. The trouble is getting the colored envelope which i want, gogoprint don’t provide envelope. So who knows envelope can be tat expensive, and hard to find. We got our envelope coincidently in one stationery shop in Ipoh: magnum stationery book store.

We design our 5 x 7 inch postcard style wedding invitation using this site: JukeBoxPrint Free Flyer/Postcard creator.

Gogoprint has since raised their price, the original RM85 has increased to RM94 – for 100pc 5×7 310g art card material, but i still go back to it, as i can’t find any other reputable printing site with better price.

3) Wedding backdrop DIY design

We design our 8 x 8 feet banner using online site: Gravit Designer. Once you get the hang of it, this site is very easy to use. In designing our backdrop, we also use http://www.online-image-editor.com/ to make the floral clipart <which we use as backdrop’s border decoration> to have transparent background. We get the free floral clipart through Google image search.

270 without pump

480 with pump

The one with pump helps with low water pressure

I find Alpha is better than Panasonic…

Bought this Rex door seal thinking to reduce noise. However, i doubt it is very good for noise, this is good to reduce noise of door closing though, no more door banging noise.

This one i bought is “P” shape, you can see it on the left in photo above.