Review of Hydrapak Reservoir

I recently had a misfortune of buying a Hydrapak hydration pack.

The story started when I wanted to start on cycling, and since water bottles are clumsy and unwieldy, I decided to go for hydration packs.

After some researches, I heard good words about Hydrapak. However this brand is curiously not popular at all in Singapore, in fact, among all the shops I had visited. Only one shop carried some very old models of it. Since Hydrapak brags "offers a lifetime guaranty against leakage, due to product defects, on our hydration systems, including reservoir, drink tube and bite valve.", but actually it is bluffing and doesn't stand behind what it claims.

The reservoir started to leak upon my first putting in of water, well before I even left my house.

I contacted Hydrapak via Facebook, and they asked me to fill up a form on their website. I did exactly that, then, nothing.

I sent a couple more messages to them, and from then on, they just play dead and ignored my requests.

The issues on hand are 1) Hydrapak product falls short of what it claims it is 2) Hydrapak doesn't stand behind its own warranty and commitment. Instead, it just trying to hide without resolving issues.

If Hydrapak cannot produce a product that lasts, then don't offer 'lifetime warranty'. Shame on such irresponsible and ball-less company. Not cool.

What do I try to do here? you may ask.

Actually I already threw the worthless Hydrapak away, and got myself a D&G water bladder.

The look seems familiar? Indeed it is!! I would believe it is the Source WXP. I took it out for a spin and there is absolutely no issue, plus its price is only 1/3 of Hydrapak! From now on I will warn all my friends who ever consider buying Hydrapak, or any brands that partner with it.

Sorry State of Le Royal Meridien Shanghai

Due to business trip, I am sent back to Shanghai again. Since I had a pleasant stay with Le Meridien, I booked it again.

However, things aren't right:

First of all, upon arrival, I was told all the king-size beds were fully booked, and I have to settle with twin-beds. Fine, this is partly my fault because I didn't really check the details when I booked. I should have asked my travel agent about the room details.

One of the reasons I chose Le Meridien is because of the shampoo set, which is made by Cinq Mondes. I don't have much dandruff problem with this shampoo, and there isn't many shampoo in the market that works for me.

However this time, they replaced it with some unknown brand stuff, and this is where I find it unacceptable.

The Cinq Mondes set. This pic is from Le Meridien KL
(http://discoverlemeridien.com/2012/06/experiencing-cinq-mondes/)

Now what the customers get? Here are the close up pictures:

Note the pictures. First of all, this set is manufactured in China and it is obvious they are some cheap shit bought in bulk and fill the bottles. WTF is this? Am I staying in a cheapo hotel? Hello, it is RMB1400 per night!! Not cheap in most part of the world, barring the most expensive Hong Kong or Tokyo. The cheapskate'ness baffles me.

For some reason the pictures are upside-down, although the previews are correct at my end. Anyway, you can download and take a closer look if you like.

I did approach the staff but they insisted these are 'branded' stuff. Well, I am not gonna pay RMB1400 per night for this kind of rubbish. Checking out tonight and never going back.

Trouble with HSBC Again

As if I have not had enough from my previous saga with The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) earlier, this time I again try to give HSBC a chance and opened an account in Singapore. Since I have some personal stuff in Hong Kong, I also opened an HSBC Hong Kong account

The HSBC is screwed up and history is repeating itself. Shit has hit the fan since day 1. Here are the issues I encountered so far:

1. The Hong Kong account has my mailing address wrong, they put first half of my hometown address but put Singapore at the end. Luckily miracle happened and the mails sent to my hometown.
2. The security token is totally screwed up since it asks for a six-number code to unlock it. I must ask which idiot(s) thought of this stuff. Isn't two-factor authentication serve the purpose?!! Isn't  the online password sufficient when going online? I never respect this kind of over-engineering as it shows no common-sense and this is a typical 'as-long-as-I-cover-my-own-ass-I-don't-care' attitude. Please don't try to tell me you have safety in mind. Other banks also do and they don't have a login password for their tokens!
3. My account is still not set-up properly because it requires me to sign something and send it back 'for my own safety'
4. The HSBC Advance account charges Below Balance Fee (BBF) while your account falls below certain amount, despite I maintain another HSBC Advance account.
5. When I called to HSBC Singapore hotline, they don't seem to be willing to handle my call for help to deal with their colleagues in Hong Kong. They told me it would be faster if I emailed the HSBC HK people as internal emails receive lower priority. But I opened and paid my money in HSBC Suntec for god's sake! Why call yourself a global bank when all regions work in fucking silos?
6. A call to HSBC Hong Kong did get some answers, but not helpful. In fact I was told there are separate security devices for each HSBC bank in different country. Good job global bank!!

I keep slapping myself because I have entered into a multi-year insurance scheme, got locked for a long time, and I am NOT getting what I want!!

Stay away from HSBC. You and your money will be happier. I have learned my lesson the hard way.

Reopening the Cuppa Store

Maybe I just like to talk. Anyway, will keep this open for sometime

Shutting down...

This blog is gonna to be closed to public soon. The initial intention for me to set up this blog no longer holds true, and i have other priorities in my life now. My understanding is most readers of my blog are in my facebook friends also, therefore keeping in touch shouldn't be a problem. If you are not, please do shoot me an email with your ID, and i will add you promptly.

Feeling of Whiskey

I have a friend who describes the feeling of drinking whiskey: "While sipping Whiskey, long forgotten scenes, memories, like the snowflakes in the snow globe, slowly rise in mind, and eventually sink to nowhere"

I like this quote.

你对我说我们只是擦肩而过....