My previous post, I wrote on my experience on registering an account with Instarem. For my second discussion on Instarem, I will share with you the transfer process.

If you're not up for reading on my experience of registering an account with Instarem, and also a breakdown of the step-by-step process; I'll just summarize it here:

It took Instarem eleven (11) days to process and approve my account, from the date of registration. This could have been avoided if I have lived in Singapore for a longer period, whereby I would have a proof of address. Do note that they do not accept commercial address, I tried using this as my proof of address, as my letter from MOM states my office address instead but it was declined. They also do not accept letter from your company stating your address as a proof. Secondly, I would suggest that you email them your selfie picture as their website limits the size to 5MB, and they want a decent clear photo, whereby it clearly shows the information on your NRIC/ FIN too.

Now, that have been cleared, let's move on to the transfer process.

There are many other services out there like Instarem, one being Transferwise. Very much like Instarem, Transferwise is also a Singapore based company. The only reason I chose Instarem was because they offer a more value-for-money exchange. I believe, everyone has a habit of carrying out a comparison before proceeding with their purchase. If you don't, you probably should (I'm just saying).

I've not used Transferwise before therefore I can't speak of their services but getting an extra RM20.65 is a no brainer to me. After all, that basically is a cost of one meal or more in Kuching, depending on where you eat.

How long was the transfer process using Instarem?
It took them about nine (9) days to process my transaction, and another two (2) day for it to show up in my Malaysian bank account.

WHAT?! But their website states "Our processing time for a transaction generally takes 1 business day from the time we receive your funds for the transaction."
I know right but that wasn't for my case, unfortunately. The reason as to why I am annoyed is because I was in Malaysia the very next day and I was not able to activate the roaming for my Singapore line. As a result, I wasn't able to access my internet banking to retrieve my transfer receipt as a proof of payment. A poor oversight on my end was not bringing my bank token with me, which is a valuable lesson from now onward.

Anyways, during the transfer process, they asked you to fill your customer ID as your payment detail whilst carrying out the bank transfer. They did not request for a transfer slip, or proof of payment after, therefore, I thought they didn't need one. Boy, I was wrong. Typically, a receiver would be able to see the payment details that you have entered, in my case was my customer ID and to top it off, I entered my transaction ID too, which is more than what they have asked.

And the cherry on the icing was, after initiating the transfer, which I chose "fast transfer" which is an immediate transfer, I contacted them via their "Live Chat" to inform them that I have made my transfer, and they should receive it already. The person on the other end told me, it would typically take them a day or two to receive the funds. I re-confirmed with my bank, and that wasn't the case as I have chose "fast transfer" the receiver should receive the funds right after. However, the Instarem's customer representative was adamant that they would only receive the funds a day or two later, and s/he did not request for a proof of transfer, or bank receipt of any sort too, nor brought it up when I asked if they needed any form of proof of payment.

It was only after a day later that I received the following email, in which I no longer was able to provide them with as I wasn't able to access my internet banking in Malaysia.

I tirelessly argued with them that they should have requested it from the time I made the transfer and not only after a day or more later, however they wouldn't budge. I state that they could find it based on the payment transfer details, still wouldn't budge.

Only after I return to Singapore, and managed to access my internet banking to retrieve the transfer slip to email it to them, were they able to process the transfer. As mentioned, it took another two (2) days for the fund to appear from the date I emailed them the transfer slip.

Overall, it was partly their fault, and mine too.

How is it their fault?
Since they know that they will need a proof of payment from customers, it should have been stated from the very beginning, or even make it a requirement to upload or email it to them immediately after customers have made the transfer.

How is it my fault?
As mentioned, my biggest mistake was not bringing my bank token with me. Didn't think I would need it, but boy was I wrong. Now I have my bank token tucked in my passport holder so it travels with me everywhere I go.

If you don't already know, I was transferred to Singapore by my company to be an assistant, more
like doing administrative and a little bit of accounting work here and there, or maybe a little all over the place, if I have to describe my role that is. It literally is all over the place, and unfortunate as I have ever been it is a role with very little supervision, nothing new there. I prefer a much more supervised role, one with mentor guiding me but obviously not so much so that they are holding my hand (figuratively speaking, of course) every step of the way. However, I am not here to discuss about my job or roles within the organization.

I am here to share my experience with Instarem.

What is Instarem? 
Instarem stands for Instant Remittance. It is one of the few sites that you can use to transfer money abroad. In terms of cost, I believe they are cheaper than using bank transfer or Western Union.

How do you rate their service?
Honestly, I did not have one of the best experience using their service - from the registration process up to the money transfer. It was a total nightmare for me, especially given the fact that I was desperate. 

Registration process 
What seems like a simple and straightforward process turns out to be a complete and utter nightmare for me...

It can't get any simpler and straightforward than this right? Wrong.

Upon entering your email and desired password, you will be asked to select the type of account you want, mainly individual and corporate.  As shown below:-

Since I will be using it for my personal use, I chose Individual.

Once that has been settled, you will be brought to the following step, whereby you're to pick your residency. Currently, it is only available in four countries, namely Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. They have just launched their service in Malaysia, therefore it should be noted that their service is restricted to users in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Cyberjaya, and Putrajaya only, at the moment.

Once you have selected your residency, you will be prompted to fill in the following form:-

Second thing to take note is that your address must match that of your Driver's License, or Bank Statement, or Utility Bill. 

And if you want a referral code, you can use mine, which is SERENAEEYINK53305. 
Third thing to take note is that in order to qualify for their Client Referral Bonus of $20.00, your referee must transfer a minimum of $500.00 in their first transaction, and there will be no bonuses from their subsequent transfers.

Once you have completed the form and clicked on Submit, you will be prompted to enter the One Time Password (OTP), which they will send to your registered mobile number. 

And guys, that is where the uncomplicated signing up ends.

The next part of the registration is where it took both Instrarem and I, days to complete my registration and for my account to be approved, which was a frustrating process on my end. However, do keep in mind that all these could have been avoided if I have stayed in Singapore for a longer period of time, or that they were more acceptable on the types of document they accept as a "proof of address". One being a letter from my employer to state my address, this usually are accepted by banks, as a result, I do not see a reason as to why they don't accept it.

What you should take note of my situation while signing up with Instarem were the following:
1. I have just been relocated here, for less than a month.
2. I have just opened a bank account for less than two weeks upon trying to sign up with Instarem.
3. I was using a prepaid mobile number. Also, bear in mind that it is not easy for Work Permit pass holder in Singapore to sign up for plans with any telco here in Singapore. They do require proof of address, and not to mention $200.00 deposit, even if you were to sign up for just the plan without a phone. *rolls eyes*
4. I am living in an accommodation that is provided to me by my boss. So, ultimately, I do not have any sort of rental agreement, nor are the utility bills billed to me.
5. My letters from MOM are all issued to my company's address, and do note that they only accept residential address.  Refer to the image below:

There are three steps in which you will have to go through to verify your identity:-
1. You will be asked to upload your NRIC (for Singaporean) or FIN (for Foreigners).

 

2. You will be asked to upload either your Bank Statement (with your address), or Utility Bill, or Government Letter. The address should match the one you used to fill up the form earlier.

And as mentioned, here was where I struggled. The only document I had to proof my address was the one provided to me by my company's HR, which was used to open my bank account. Up to this very day, I do not understand why won't they accept this letter. I mean, if a bank accepts it, why can't they? After all, the company's name is clearly stated in the FIN too.

3. You will asked to upload a selfie of yourself holding your NRIC/ FIN.

This was another hiccup that I faced, and I blame them wholeheartedly. Yes, you read that right, wholeheartedly. They want a clear picture of your face along with your NRIC/ FIN, in which the details on your NRIC/ FIN should be readable too. It wouldn't have been a problem, if they didn't limit the size of picture to 5MB. In the end, they requested me to email it to them and continued the verification process from there onward.

It took a total of eleven days for my account to be approved. Once your account has been approved, you will received an email as per below:

I did not expect this post to be so long but since it is (I'm sorry for being very detailed regarding the registration process), I will do a second post regarding their transfer process.

It has always, always been a wish of mine to own a bag from Chanel, and I'm lucky to say that I am finally a proud owner of one.

My first ever splurge was on a Chanel Boy Wallet, which you can read about it here. I still have it with me but I don't really use it due to its material (patent leather). I'm hoping to sell and replace it with the Louis Vuitton's Kabuki Victorine Wallet (model no.: M67257). I'm totally in love with the entire LV Cruise 2018 - Kyoto, Japan's line.

Picture taken from @kaolu1999

I just love how scary and angry looking it looks, don't you agree?

Anyways, back to my initial topic, my first ever Chanel bag!

Do you want to take a guess on which bag did I purchased?
I'll give you a clue, it is one of the bag that Cara Delevingne is carrying in the picture above.

Yeap, that's the one I got. I'm seriously in love with this colour combination.

I couldn't have chose a better one, even if I wanted too. I mean there are plenty of others that I am madly in love with too but....I have a boring bag collection that mainly consist of black bags, so this is a refreshing purchase for my wardrobe as a whole to say the least. And I'm truly, truly happy with this purchase.

I wasn't much of a fan when I saw this line but after awhile, I found myself liking it more and more. I suppose that's what Instagram and PurseForum usually do to me though. I would be hating on something and after seeing more pictures of it, I'd be like hmm, it's not so bad after all.

What I was really sold on for the Gabrielle Hobo handbag was the fact that there are multiple ways one could carry it. Elle Canada has a video up on Youtube on 7 Ways to Wear Chanel's Gabrielle Handbag, as shown below:

But to be honest, there are more ways than that on how you could wear the Chanel Gabrielle Hobo bag. It is one of the most versatile handbag that I've come across after the Hermes 2-in-1 Herbag, which I'm totally in love with and wear it almost daily. I abuse that bag heavily and wish Hermes didn't discontinue it, only to make an unchangeable version of it years later, which is now known as the Hermes Herbag Zip. With that said, I feel the Gabrielle is somewhat similar to the Herbag in terms of affordability. Both of it are the entry-level bag to its respective brand name. 
 

If you're wondering how I carry mine, yeap, that's how I carry mine. I feel like by doing so, it gives the bag a little more edge to its already edginess. Also, by doing so, the length of the strap becomes perfect for me to carry it cross body or on the shoulder.

The only part that I'm extremely cautious with is the suede leather part, which is the blue part. I tend to not wear it as often now due to the rainy season over here in Singapore.

The weather now is like it is having its period or something. It just can't decide if it wants to be sunny or gloomy. One minute it is sunny, the next minute it is raining cats and dogs. So yeah, I only wear it when I'm absolutely certain that it wouldn't rain or that I would be spending my time indoor most of the day. LOL!

Fun fact on this particular model, it wasn't only seen on Cara Delevingne for the photoshoot, there is a candid picture of her seen wearing this bag. G-Dragon was also seen wearing this bag attending the opening of Chanel Mademoiselle Prive in Seoul, Korea. Liu Wen has posted a picture of herself wearing this bag on her Instagram page. And lastly, Willow Smith was seen with this bag too.

So, that sums up my first Chanel bag purchase. One that I am absolutely head over heels for, unlike the purchase of my first Chanel wallet, which was and still is a regret up to this very day. A buyer offered me RM2,500 for the wallet, which I turned down, of course. *rolls eyes* I mean, I rarely even used it and it looks totally brand new, and the cost of a brand new Chanel Boy wallet is RM4,000 and above, so why in Pete's name would I sell it for RM2,500? I'd rather just keep it till the day I die. LOL!

The title speaks for itself.

Turning 25 years of age last November did not make me feel like I'm an adult. In fact, even having to raise a child doesn't makes me feel like I'm an adult (this could probably be because I know that the child isn't mine and I didn't have to suffer experience nine month of pregnancy and one brief moment of pushing the child out my vagina 😂). 

But today, I definitely felt like I'm a full grown adult. 

Today is a special day to me. 🎆

Today, I've made my first real "investment". The older version of myself (let's call it v1.0) would never have done it. V1.0 would never walk in to a bank and inquire about anything, even withdrawing and depositing money through counter was too much for me then. Human interactions have never been my forte and I dread it a whole lot.

Anyways, back to why I think I've finally become an adult...

When I saw an advert on CIMB's promotion for their Unfixed Deposit at 4.10% per annum, I was really keen on getting on that bandwagon but as destiny has made it, it wasn't made for me. As I've mentioned, I loathe human interactions, therefore it was difficult for me to go to the bank to withdraw money and to go to CIMB to open a FD account. When I had finally mustered the courage to do it, one of my colleagues had errands to run, so I couldn't go out to do it. And thus, my plan to place money into FD got shelved. 

Then Hong Leong Bank announced their "Hong Leong Bank Digital Day" seven days promotion from 7th to 13th July 2017. The rates (4.17% through their Online Fixed Deposit, and 4.3% if it is done over the counter) are comparatively better than CIMB Unfixed Deposit promotional rate, however the term is fixed at seven months only (not more, not less).

After mustering up the courage, I went to the bank to buy banker's cheque (any banks except HLB will be accepted, as this promotion is valid for "fresh funds" only) and withdraw some cash to open an account with HLB as I do not have one with them previously. For deposit of RM1,000.00 and above to your Current Account/ Saving Account (CASA), you will be entitled to their FD promotional rates of 7.00% per annum for a period of seven months. I must say this is the most attractive FD promotions available right now in the market.

With that, I can finally say that I've reached adulthood because I'm slowly stepping out of this comfort bubble of mine, doing things v1.0 wouldn't have done. And for that, I'm happy with myself.

On a side note, it is getting fairly difficult to open bank accounts in Malaysia, they will a hundred and one questions with regard to where your money came from and if you're working, you need to provide them with your Confirmation Letter from your company etc. However, I find that it differs between branches because the second branch that I went, the officer didn't ask for anything except for my identification card. 😌 Otherwise, it would have been another wasn't-made-for-me moment. 

It has been closed to a year since my last post, which was on 1st August 2016! *jaw drops*

It sure does not feel as long as it is supposed to but I guess life has got the best of me, and the worst part is I'm not even exaggerating.

Let's start with a simple introduction, shall we?

Hi there, I'm Serena and I'm a mother guardian of a three years old sloth, of whom you may wish to follow on Instagram (@ZaratheSloth). She's all kind of cuteness but she's extremely slow. At times, she's a monster but which three years old are not, right? So there's that.

As for my career, an Internal Auditor, who rarely does audit work. I'd say my position has changed to Accounts Executive and my day-to-day tasks include but not limited to managing full-set accounting and overseeing the controls for inventories, however my boss would probably disagree. As far as he is concern, managing full-set accounting is a part-time task whilst auditing is a full-time task for me. The jokes are probably on me but I'm getting paid to do both, so...

Aside from child and work, my life consist mostly of Korean Drama! Oh boy, the addiction is real, and this is coming from a person, who once said she'll never watch KDrama and doesn't understand the hype over it. Hypocrite much? I apologize for making such thoughtless comment. If you're wondering, I mainly watch their romantic comedy only. It has that good kind of cheesy romantic - that I can never get enough of.

The things I should be doing but have not (#unmotivatedsheep):

• 1. losing weight - before I had the responsibility over another being, I was actively participating in Muay Thai classes every other days. And honestly, I enjoyed it a lot. However, a child pop out of no where and was two then, so I had to stop. Now that there's a helper, the gym has dedicated to move further away (40 minutes drive) from its already far away location (20 minutes drive) due to the hike in rental. Can someone please open a decent gym in Miri? Sean Wong of Gymbox, I'm looking at you!


• 2. finishing either one of the courses - CPA Australia or CIA USA - again I was forced to take a leave of absent from CPA Australia because (1) daddy thinks I can't juggle all three (work, child, and study) at once. He asked me to wait till he retires (in two to three years time), where he would take turn to look after the sloth. Be grateful child because just look at the things I've to give up to raise you. (2) what daddy says is true - I can't juggle all three. Some would argue that it depends on my willpower and how much I want it but I know me and I know well, I wouldn't be able to do it. So what's the point of paying knowing that I will not do well, in other words, fail?


• 3. attending seminars that would benefit me - not just any seminars but the ones that could benefit my career, ones that are organized by IIA Malaysia. I've been looking at it but never took the plunge to attend any. 


• 4. start investing - any recommendations? 

So that's a glimpse of my life over my nearly one year hiatus.