Shop Online with New Shopping App, Shopee

Online shopping is the rage now. Particularly for us, the Internet generation. Shopping in real life has become difficult. While there are plenty of malls, I can't seem to find the things that I am looking for at times. I still remember having to comb through BHG at Century Square looking for ankle socks and after asking around did I then find them. I would rather skip the inconvenience and shop online, if I was not in a hurry that is. You can even decide where and when to collect the product and handle the payment without cash.

So where do I do my online shopping? I have tried Qoo10, 65daigou and some other sites but when it comes to apps on phone, I have yet to venture into that unknown territory. Yes, still keeping it traditional by shopping on a mac with a stable wifi at home. While I have heard of Carousell and attempted downloading it, it's bad reputation really puts me off. Have you seen the ridiculous conversion exchanges between buyers and sellers? Thus, when I heard of Shopee I was naturally curious. What does it have that makes it different?

Chris Feng, CEO, Shopee shared some background information on Shopee. It is available in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Having launched in November, it is quite new and is free for downloads. It is supported by Garena, Southeast Asia's largest internet platform provider. At the moment, buyers and sellers can only purchase and sell locally within the country.

My first concern when it comes to buying from other people or selling for the matter is whether we can trust the other party. If it is an online site where they sell a certain product, it is less likely they will commit fraud or your product ends up not arriving. However when it comes from an individual seller, there is some risk involved. As for Shopee, it is equipped with a secure payment method, the Shopee Guarantee which ensures that if products are not received in the agreed condition, payment will be refunded to the buyers in full. Now, that is one concern you can strike off your list. If the product is faulty, you don't need to pay for it. As a buyer, I would feel that ok, you got my back on this, it is safe to shop, kind of like when you see the green man on the traffic light. 

Next up on the list is probably delivery. If they use Singpost, I will probably give up on them right away. Thankfully, they work with Ninja Van and given my experience with them, these couriers know how to do their job, so you will get your purchase less all the trouble of having to collect it from the post office yourself. After all, it is online shopping. We do expect our products to be delivered to us or at least to be available for collection at a convenient time and day. 

Social experience wise, it bears similarities to other online shopping apps and sites. You can expect real-time updates from friends and sellers and get to communicate with them though in-app instant messaging. There is also hashtag search available which is pretty cool and having scrolled through the app myself, I feel quite tempted to browse through the collectible category, particularly since Christmas is around the corner. Time to shop for presents! 

          

While I haven't attempted to sell things online yet, Shopee seems to be quite app friendly for sellers with the Seller Assistant available to guide individuals on how to manage their retail businesses on the platform. It helps with measuring store performance and lets you know which products to restock or whether you should offer a discount. Sounds quite helpful to me. 

With all that is said, if you are into mobile purchasing or selling, check out what Shopee has to offer! Try it for yourself, after all it is free. 

Introduction to Ground Zero, 放射空間, Taiwanese Indie Band

If you are a fan of Mandarin rock, the highlight of this year's Skechers Sundown Festival 2015 line up should be none other than the Taiwanese Indie Band, Ground Zero for you. Well I am sure that there are other bands whose performance you also enjoyed but in the first half of the festival, they were the only non-local band so you could say they were in the spotlight.

Jason (Bass/Synthesizers), Ray (Lead Vocal / Guitar), Ivan (Guitar / Producer) and Shin (Drums/Percussion)

To share with you more about the band, Ground Zero is a four man Taiwanese Indie Band whose music has been aired on the Taiwan radio in recent years and they are here in Singapore to launch their latest EP and to perform their latest songs at the Skechers Sundown Festival 2015.

Since they are Taiwanese, the following information will be in Mandarin (pardon my limited Chinese vocabulary).

我要先說明我對放射空間并不熟悉，這次能訪問他們覺得很榮幸。放射空間四人組給我的感覺就是很友善，親切。在訪談的過程中能體驗到他們之間對彼此的坦誠也發現到他們其實還蠻幽默的。儘管我沒能流利的表達自己編的問題，對此有些尷尬，但是他們還是盡量地回復。

CK 幫我們拍的合照畫面

這是他們新創作的專輯「玩真的！」。覺得名字很有趣吧？專輯名稱背後的含義是想對家人朋友與粉絲們說他們對音樂是多麼的認真，並且堅信只要努力，一定會 make it!

他們也剛推出「大海之名」有機版。推出歌曲的主要目的是要讓社會大眾認識「WISH 星農」這個名字與有機的精神價值。WISH 希望從有機、友善的農業價值角度，正與「堅持、土地、非污染、提供勇氣、擁抱未來」的有機搖滾完全貼切。

從訪問得知他們還沒機會認識到新加坡樂團和朋友，希望在以後的演出他們會更了解新加坡的朋友和粉絲，能跟新加坡樂團合作，帶來更多好聽動人的歌曲。他們也表示在不久的將來會把一些受歡迎的歌曲翻譯成英文，以便把歌曲跟聽不懂中文的聽眾分享。希望喜歡他們的歌的讀者和粉絲能多多支持他們，到他們的臉書網頁按個贊！

以下是他們在現場表演的一段歌曲來自 「簡單生活」和照片供你們欣賞。

兩年前在念大學還沒畢業的時候，我曾經到臺北的師大做過交換，第一次跟台灣朋友接觸，也再次用到中文。一年前，我才初次在 F1 親生體驗到五月天的現場演出。雖說在廣播有聽過他們的歌，但是沒這麼留意他們的歌曲。自從看到他們的現場演出之後，就在 Spotify 常常聽他們的歌。這次也沒差，我會多多留意放射空間的新歌曲。有幾首歌我已經喜歡上了，特別是「簡單生活」，歌詞就把我們人的心情抓得真準確。

Here are some thoughts I have after the performance. As a Linguistics student, one whose (according to the government) mother tongue or second language is Chinese, I recognise that some of our feelings and emotions are best captured in Chinese song lyrics. It is a language that we can relate to on an emotional level that English can't, at least for me. So if you like what you see and hear, do support Ground Zero!

For those who have read the post till the end, particularly to those who know Mandarin, thank you for reading and kindly pardon my poor use of the language. It has been really long since I tried to write in Mandarin.

Get Grilling at Rocku Yakiniku Japanese Charcoal Grill

I haven't been writing for a while because I have been busy with work and on a typical work day, there's nothing more wonderful than spending an evening out with friends and good food.

Craving for BBQ food and want to avoid the crowd? Try Bugis+. It always seem somewhat less crowded there as compared to Bugis Junction, so there is no harm in walking over. Today, the limelight is on Rocku Yakiniku, a Japanese Charcoal Grill.

It's a cool place to hang out at with live bands such as Mint and Morgan, as the music provides a relaxing atmosphere where you can enjoy your food and sway to the beats of Mandarin, Japanese or Korean Pop-Rock variety.

When we think of cooking our own food BBQ style, we think of Korean cuisine but hey, there is Japanese cuisine too. Here's your chance to grill food after a day of being grilled at work.

For the meat lovers out there, if you have a craving for tons of meat, ROCKU is a good choice. Beef, pork, chicken, choose your pick. I would personally go for beef. Lots of it. I am licking my lips as I write this. Ahh, the taste of BBQ beef. Nothing beats that after a long day at work. Like it medium rare, medium or well done? You are the chef, you decide.

When this plate of meat was served, you can imagine our eyes glowing. Preciouusssss! Which guy can avoid such a temptation? We gave in, happily, at that.

Have you tried grilling salmon before? We tried our hands at it and I suck at flipping it because it gets all sticky and sticks on the grill but as much as it is difficult to keep it grilled nicely as an entire slice, it is one of the best ingredients you should grill. The taste will leave you amazed and wanting more. It tastes nothing like how it looks. I highly recommend that you try it.

In fact, grilling food can be kind of therapeutic as you take the time to cook your food. It is perhaps one of the best cuisines to have if you simply want to hang out with a friend over dinner. I mean, some dinners do last a duration of like 30 minutes or less, if your friend is starved and that will leave you wondering what to do next. At ROCKU, there's always time for some beers to compliment your meal. Just a heads up, there are complimentary welcome drinks served on Monday to Thursday. Their very own special Rocku Bomb! It is something different, so I will let you find out what it is yourself.

Besides meat and beer, there is also seafood for those of you who can't say no to prawns and squids. If you have a date to impress, start peeling, it will earn you some plus points.

For the Halloween special promotion they are having, Horror-ween, it also includes crayfish, just our luck! If you particularly like them, this is your chance! Besides that, there is also salmon sashimi and hotate, not to mention a whole line of specially curated food items made available at the buffet counter. Available at $30.90 ++ on weekdays and $37.90++ on weekends.

With free flow meat and over 20 dishes at the buffet counter to choose from, you should not be leaving ROCKU with anything less but a satisfied stomach. Also, one benefit about grilling here is that the exhaust system takes care of the smoke, so you won't be leaving the place smelling stinky. For more information on ROCKU, visit www.rocku.com.sg.

Rocku Yakiniku Japanese Charcoal Grill

201 Victoria Street #04-06 Bugis+ Singapore 188067

Tel: 6634 3313

Dolce Vita, an Endless Summer Edition with W Singapore and Zouk

So what's new and happening at W Singapore? 

On 2nd August, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove and Zouk will be collaborating to bring some of the hottest homegrown music mavens to Dolce Vita, an Endless Summer edition. Be prepared for a time of revelry, bring out those shades and get ready to let your hair down!

Powered by Zouk resident DJs Jeremy Boon, Lincey and Zushan at WET® deck, it will be a time of celebration with renowned brands including Bell & Ross, Veuve Clicquot and Belvedere. Walk away with multiple summer treats including half-hourly giveaways from Mango eyewear together with Eye-Trendy and if you are the lucky one, you might win yourself a Bell & Ross Vintage BR123 Heritage watch worth SGD4, 200! Sounds good right?

What’s more, there will be complimentary entry for the first 100 Zouk members and one guest upon presentation of membership card at door and a complimentary goodie bag given to the first 50 guests.

From my previous experience of the Endless Summers at W Singapore, it is an awesome event to chill out at, as you sway to the beat of the music while enjoying the cooling sensation that the pool has to offer. What's more, Zouk resident DJs are in the house this time round, so what are you waiting for? The atmosphere is going to be great! 

Enjoy the Sights that Sentosa has to Offer with The Cable Car Sky Network

We have known of the existence of the cable cars as a mode of transport into Sentosa but now, there is a new Sentosa Line in place, the Singapore Cable Car Sky Network.

This new line is an extension of the existing Mount Faber cable car line. There are 3 cable car stations servicing the new Sentosa Line; the Merlion, Imbiah Lookout and Siloso Point Stations. So, if you are looking to travel from one point to another, there is another alternative besides the 

monorail. Yay!!!

With this new line available, guests travelling around Sentosa can explore the island conveniently from a bird's eye view and there's plenty to enjoy from up above. If you are heading to the western part of Siloso Beach, Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Hotel, Underwater World Singapore and Fort Siloso, then this line with benefit you greatly!

If you think that the view is good during the day, wait till you ride the cable car around Sentosa during the night. It is a sight to behold! For those who love to take photographs, the scenery from up there is spectacular! 

Mr S Iswaran, Minister (Prime Minister's Office) and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry officially launched the new Sentosa line on Tuesday, 14th July.

Having rode the cable car myself, I can tell you that it's an experience you don't want to miss out on. It provides the best view of what Sentosa has to offer in that short amount of travelling time, you don't have to squeeze with the crowd on the monorail and you don't need to exhaust yourself under the hot sun. Think cable car the next time you think about how to get to Sentosa!

Glow with Confidence Thanks to GLOMAX Aesthetics

Sponsored Post

When you think about facials, what do you think of? For me, I visualise face masks being put on, various soothing lotions being rubbed on and my skin looking better after the treatment. How much of this is accurate? Find out by reading more on my experience at GLOMAX Aesthetics.

So how is the treatment process like? It begins with a consultation. For me, it was the typical areas that had more acne such as my forehead, cheeks and chin area, with cheeks being more congested. I was recommended the Luminous Detox Energie Care Treatment that was a duration of 90mins and costs $168. According to them, it is the ultimate skin purification process and the Diamond Microdermabrasion invigorates cellular renewal to treat clogged, pigmented and sallow skin.

The room where I had my facial treatment in

Ok, so what's next? The Sonic Cleansing machine was used on my face. It is this machine that has a suction kind of edge that basically hovered around my face and vibrated the dirt off my skin. With dead skin removed, my face felt much smoother. It may feel a little strange but there's no need to worry because it at most causes minor discomfort. There was quite some amount of dead skin removed for me and it's probably due to my lack of use of a scrub. Despite using cleanser, moisturiser and toner, I have yet to form the habit of using sunblock and scrubs. Earlier on in the year I was advised on the importance of sunscreen and today, I was once again told about it's use in preventing ageing skin. With that, I was ready for the next step: extraction.

I am pretty sure you guys will probably know what extraction involves. Basically, it is the process whereby the acne is squeezed out of their pores. A little painful but necessary. After the process, a high frequency machine is used to repair the open wounds to speed up my skin’s natural healing. All you will feel is this round, smooth, machine rolling over your face. It is designed with a customised cocktail of vitamins to refresh and strengthen the skin protective barrier, so that the skin immediately comes out looking clean. For me, I was given the green tea extract which serves the following purposes: anti-oxidant, whitening, anti-bacterial, lightening. The treatment ends off with a customised mask and in my case, I was given a charcoal mask for purposes of detoxifying.

How I look like after treatment:

How I look like after treatment

Just a disclaimer that people don't look at their best immediately after facials because it takes time for the skin to recover and heal.

BUT... all that matters is how I feel like after treatment:

How I feel like after treatment

With trustworthy clinicians, you do not need to worry about outbreaks after the session and you can be certain that the condition of your skin will improve, with the right protective skincare products. Here at Glomax, you can step out of the clinic confidently knowing that your face has been well taken care of and that the pain that you have been put through during the extraction process is all worth it.

If you have read until here, you must be somewhat interested to have your face treated. I am sure most guys don't go for facials but why be the majority? If it is good for you, there is no harm trying. If you feel you want to try it out, here is an added incentive. For my readers, you can get the same treatment that I went for, for a special price of only $88. That's nearly 50% off the usual price. All you need to do is quote my name 'Samuel' when you make your appointment.

GLOMAX Aesthetics  
12 Eu Tong Sen Street, #6-168, Soho 2  Singapore 059819 (Beside Swissotel Merchant Court) Opening Hours: Mon- Fri: 10am-8pm, Sat-Sun: 10am-5pm
T: +65 6225 5193/ SMS 94590795

Explore Penang from the Comfort of G Hotel Kelawai

So ever since we booked our trip to Penang, we were pretty excited about it and the day finally arrived!

We were driven to G Hotel Kelawai and greeted warmly upon arrival. Even had some scoops of ice cream to welcome us and brighten up our day. Of course, we couldn't wait to check out our rooms!

For Deluxe Rooms, we were pretty satisfied with the size and layout of the room. Had that elegant look to it with the furniture decked out and nicely arranged. I even had an arm chair to rest in while I indulged in my book (yes, I brought a book, don't judge).

One of the first things I did when I entered my room was to pull the curtains aside and peek out. It was scenic and I wanted to take a selfie but... no correct guesses on how it turned out, my face was too dark and the background too bright.

The TV was big! Made a mental note to utilise it at some point during our stay and watched AXN on it for a short while during our third day.

The toilet had the towels and the necessary toiletries. I noted that they used Appelles toiletries which are eco-friendly. 

They also had a mini bar, coffee machine and what we Singaporeans can't live without, free Wi-Fi!

All in all, I would say that I was pleased with my room. The thing about hotel rooms is that if you are busy traveling, you tend to underutilise them and we wanted to spend time enjoying the comfort that G Hotel Kelawai offered.

Next up, our breakfast place! Spoon.

This is not the typical breakfast spread but here's a little of what to expect during meals.

As always, when there's an infinity pool available, you just have to check it out. Having seen the photographs in press releases, we were not disappointed one bit with what we saw.

Told myself that I would be back and swimming here. Just couldn't wait to take a dip and chill out in the pool. I came back on our last day and had the whole pool to myself, wohoo! Enjoy max.

If you think the view during the day is good, check out the view during the night. There's also a rooftop bar, Gravity available if you want to grab some drinks and have htht. 

We had a great view from the sky deck (the same level as the infinity pool) during the day and if you enjoy the night lights, you simply have to see it for yourself.

Next to the pool is the executive lounge and man were our tummies glad that we had access to this place. We frequented this place during the late afternoons for tea, so that we could munch on a little something before we head out for dinner. 

No one probably visits the hotel's gym on their stay overseas but we decided to take a look anyway. Simple as it looks, it has everything you need in there. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to gym otherwise I would have gladly tried out the weights. All that eating makes anyone feel guilty of not working out.

If you are wondering how accessible the hotel is, it is located right next to Gurney Plaza and Gurney  Paragon, making it super convenient if you want to shop. Also, one of the hop-on-hop-off bus stations is within proximity of the hotel, so if you intend to visit tourist attractions via this mode of transport, you don't need to worry about how to get back to G Hotel. 

We had a lovely stay at G Hotel Kelawai and would like to thank them for their warm hospitality.

Visit www.ghotel.com.my for more information. 

Vote for Your Tiger Beer Party

To celebrate the 50th year since Tiger Beer released its first can to the world, Tiger Beer has lined up a slew of events and activities to commemorate this milestone in the nation’s history.

To uncage the nation from the usual celebrations, Singapore’s Unofficial Official favourite local beer will present a fresh take on how National Day is celebrated, by throwing its own epic National Day party, replete with surprising and remarkably unusual party elements. Truly a party for the people, it puts the power in the hands of the people by getting Singaporeans to vote for what they want to see at their party – the wackier the better. Party elements include aerial drones, chilli crab fountains, trishaw massage chairs and more!

Voting chilli crab fountain!

The power is now in your hands and you may cast your vote through your social media platforms by putting an ‘X’ against your favourite party highlight and posting an image of your ballot with the following hashtags – #TigerBeerMediasChoice and #UnofficialOfficial. Voting begins on 22nd June and closes on 19th July. You can vote online at tigerbeer.com.sg or at mobile polling stations at Knightsbridge on 4th July or One Raffles Place on 9th July if you are above the age of 18. Tickets to the party cannot be purchased and only those involved in the voting process may stand a chance to win tickets.

To round off the celebrations, Tiger Beer’s iconic blue and silver packaging will also receive a patriotic SG50 makeover, with the release of limited-edition red and white livery on all its cans, pints and bottles.

Relax and Recharge with Celebrity Facialist Su-Man at AWAY® Spa

To all ladies out there who wants to pamper yourselves and do some facial, you will be pleased to know that celebrity facialist Su-Man Hsu will be back at AWAY® Spa from 1 July to 12 July! That is in less than a week's time, so if you want to watch her work her magic, hurry and make your reservations!

Celebrity facialist Su-Man Hsu

Background info on Su-Man:

Holding the secret to eternal youth, Su-Man promises to condition your skin to become radiant and smooth with her blend of Asian and Western infusions. With nimble fingers and her knowledge of facial massage, Su-Man invented her own uniqueoriental facial technique and is known to give the most amazing facials. Her signature ‘facelift in an hour’ facial has been hailed as a ‘natural alternative to 'botox’ and has been lauded by Oscar-Winning Celebrity Anne Hathaway as a “Life Changing Experience”. This is an opportunity not to be missed because this treatment is only limited to 5 treatments per day.

AWAY Spa Lounge

AWAY Spa Vitality Pool

I have been to the Vitality Pool before and trust me, it is superb for chilling out. It helps to energise and relax your body. There's no better place for a day of relaxation and facials at AWAY Spa Vitality pool with Su-Man Hsu!

For more information visit http://www.wsingaporesentosacove.com/suman.

Location: AWAY® Spa, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove 21 Ocean Way, Singapore 098374              
Date: From 1 July 2015 (Wednesday) to 12 July 2015 (Sunday)                   
Time: 10.00AM to 6PM (5 treatments a day)                 
Price: SGD380++ for 60-minute treatment
Contact: +65 6808 7290 / awayspa.singapore@whotels.com 

Mobile Game Review of Kritika: The White Knights

Before I begin the review, you just simply have to check out the trailer. The graphics just make me go wow! 

Kritika: The White Knights is an action RPG game. Basically involves slashing and dashing around killing mobs. You can either start off as a berserker or a cat acrobat. For the beginning stages, it's pretty easy as you slice and dice your way through enemy creeps, experimenting with the various skills available. In fact, there's even an auto mode, so not much thinking required, except maybe when it comes to the boss, where you might want to take control of your character and avoid their AOE (area of effect) attacks where the ground struck will turn red in advance. In fact, it is usually the bosses that are designed with special skills and require a bit more character management to defeat.

Time to roll! 

The good thing about this game is that it is pretty much guided in the sense that they direct you where to go with directional arrows and there are gates that need unlocking so you won't venture out of the area in advance. All you need to focus on is what skill to use and when, at least it's pretty straight forward at the beginning levels. What I really like about this game is the visuals when it comes to the use of skills. Just check out the cat acrobat in action!

Trying out the cat acrobat against the boss

Loot wise, thankfully it's not something difficult to manage. Out of the 3 loot dropped, you will be randomly allocated one based on your luck (you choose 1 out of 3 chests). Like other RPGs, how many stages you can fight is based on your energy and besides that, you also get to combine, reinforce or transmute your equipment, level up your skills and do dungeons (at level 17).

Loot time!

If you are looking to create a bad ass character, check out the avatars. They have so many cool looking swords, armours and even wings, that I could be spending all day choosing had I sufficient Karats (game currency).

Avatar shop page

There's lot more to the game but I haven't gotten to unlock other features yet. So having introduced you the basic features of the game, you can decide whether it is your kind of game.

As your starting character levels up, other characters will be available to you and there is even the option of pets but unfortunately only at level 30. I will leave you to try those features out yourself, after all it's exploring and trying out the game for yourself that makes it fun.

Character home page

Visit https://www.facebook.com/KritikaGAMEVIL for the latest patch updates and more information.

Google Play: http://bit.ly/Kritika_AD
App Store: http://bit.ly/Kritika_iOS
Amazon: http://bit.ly/Kritika_AMZ