Review: Zheng Yuan Wei 蒸原味 @ Katong Square

One of the interesting restaurant that opened at the newly refurbished Katong Square - Zheng Yuan Wei. They specialised in steampot, which retains the original flavours of the ingredients and making it a much healthier choice. Steampot originates from Guangdong and is very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan right now. You can even find the steampot pot being sold in supermarkets!

We went there as a party of five and ordered their set menu for 4, a Boston lobster, a plate of pork belly and a pot of tea. The total damage was just slightly less than $300. The set menu of 4 comes with vegetables (lotus root, corn, pumpkin and sweet potato), one whole fish, scallops, clams, mussels, oysters, prawns, flower crab (it was out of stock so they replaced with a mud crab which I think is better) and rice grains. The seafood were all 'live' seafood.

The rice was first put into the bottom of the pot to be transformed into a porridge and eaten at the end of the meal. The idea is for the condensed steam to stream down to the bottom of the pot, and together with the juices from the seafood, forms a hearty porridge.

The staff will put the seafood one at a time on the steamer and set the timer for you. Each item usually takes about 3 to 5 minutes before it is ready to be eaten.

The seafood were all fresh and firm, but only the lobster, clams and prawns require minimal seasoning. The other seafood will be better off if you make your own dip (included as part of your meal) to accompany it. Special mention goes to the fish (deboned) which made even a non-fish lover like me fell in love with it. The crab's flesh was also really sweet and I would recommend it over the flower crab if given the choice.

Once you are done with all the ingredients, the staff will start to mix the porridge for you. By this time, the rice grains have become the consistency of a Cantonese porridge. Spring onion, an egg and fried onions are then added to the mix. Do not expect it to be a rich seafood porridge, rather it is a homely porridge with a tinge of the sea. You can add in a bit of soya sauce if you find it too bland, but I actually enjoyed it with just a dash of pepper. This finale dish will definitely satisfy the elderly who prefer something lighter.

It was generally a good dining experience and everyone enjoyed the food. It would be even better if they can have a variety of set menu or make it more customisable.

Review: Chicken Hotpot 鸡公煲

Today is my fourth time at Chicken Hotpot, so you know it's good! If you like steamboat and ma la xiang guo, this is the dish for you. They have a simple menu with 4 types of pot: chicken (their signature), beef, prawn and fish. I have tried both the chicken and prawn pots before, generally preferring the chicken, although the prawns they provided are easy to eat (partly de-shelled) and quite big.

Their signature chicken pot is heavy on the spices and you get to choose your level of spiciness. Bear in mind it can get quite spicy so if you are not good at spicy food, just go for mild. The chicken (bone-in) are chopped into chunky pieces and simmered in the thick spiced gravy. If your gravy runs low, the staff will pour in some chicken stock for you, which is more suitable to be drank rather than the thick gravy.

Recently they also have a promotion item which is my all-time favourite, the chicken and pork tripe pot. This is strongly recommended by me and I feel is more to Singaporeans palate. In fact, when I first tried Chicken Pot, I had their significant chicken version and prawn version and wasn't that impressed. This chicken and pork tripe version made me came back 2 more times!

If you like peppery bak kut teh, please choose this version and you won't regret. It can be a bit too peppery at first taste, but as you add in more ingredients, it gives the soup base more flavour and take away some of the peppery taste. Similar to the other version, you can get a refill when the stock runs low. The soup is really tasty and comforting especially on a rainy day. A chicken and pork tripe pot comes with chicken pieces and chunky pork tripe pieces.

The best way to enjoy Chicken Pot is not to over order the main pot, but select the additional ingredients. For 2 pax, I would just order a small pot then choose some of the ingredients from their fridge (self service). Their steamboat ingredients are all nicely displayed and wrapped up in the fridge and the pricing is differentiated by the colour of the plates.

I recommend ordering the prawn/cuttlefish paste which comes in an 'icing bag'. You will have to ask the staff to cut a hole at the tip when you are ready to it. Their cuttlefish balls also go well with the chicken and pork trip pot. Other ingredients available include vegetables, fish paste, pork belly with enoki, mushrooms, noodles, sliced fish, sliced meat etc.

Lastly, a shout out to the manager (short-haired lady) at the Bedok Point branch who always has a smile on her face and provided very attentive service. There was once we ordered a plate of enoki mushrooms and had already eaten more than half of it. The manager suddenly came over with another plate of enoki mushrooms and said she realised the staff had under-weighed the entire batch, so she gave us another plate. Honest shops like this are really hard to come by nowadays so it was a pleasant feeling even though she could have ignored it as we couldn't tell we were shortchanged. 

Tips for Singaporeans going on Trafalgar Tour in Europe

Some tips and things to expect for those going on Trafalgar tours for the first time. This is based off my experiences with Trafalgar tours in Europe. I have only good things to say about Trafalgar tours so far... so hopefully you will enjoy it as much as me!

Pre-Trip

1. Check the availability of airport transfer. They will have certain timings so if you are intending to take the airport transfer provided by Trafalgar or the hotel, make sure you plan your flight accordingly.

2. Check the first day of your itinerary. If there is going to be a welcome reception or short city tour, arrange to arrive at your destination early morning at the very latest, or preferably, the day before. Otherwise, you will miss this half day event.

3. After receiving your tour material/package, it is advisable that you fill up the pre-trip information a few weeks before your trip. It is a short survey indicating each member's personal preference and his/her travel details. This has to be done on your own.

4. Bring along/use the Trafalgar luggage tags provided. They have their own system of ensuring your luggage are well accounted for every morning so do bring them along.

5. Look through the optional tours and have a rough idea which are the ones you are interested in. Prepare sufficient cash accordingly (see point 13 below).

During the Trip

6. Unlike tour guides from local travel agencies, Trafalgar travel directors (as what they call themselves), are more straight-forward and business-like. They go by rules to ensure the safety and efficiency of the tour.

7. The itinerary and departure time for each day will be posted on a notice board in the hotel lobby. You are required to set your own morning call. The travel director will mention the departure and breakfast time a few times and if you miss it, you can refer to the notice board.

8. Slow-paced itinerary. Excluding the optional tours, there are usually only 2 or 3 places of interest to visit each day. You usually end the day at around 5 to 6pm each day and you get to stay at the places of interest longer than local tours will provide. This is why Trafalgar is more popular with older people.

9. Luggage will mostly be taken care of by your travel director. The travel director will usually give you the keys to your room and the luggage will be brought up to you by the hotel staff. The next day, you just need to leave your luggage outside your room (make sure the Trafalgar luggage tag is there) and it will be on the bus by the time you leave.

10. They usually have a rotating seating arrangement on the bus. Each day, you will be rotated and assigned to a different seat so that everyone gets their chance to sit in front or at the back during the trip. From my experience, they will just rotate clockwise, so if you are a family, you will need to sit in front/behind each other in order to be together after each rotation.

11. Be prepared for 'weird' lunch hours or spots. I am not sure if the ang mohs tend to have light lunch and heavier dinner or what, but for the Trafalgar tours I went, they seemed to place less importance on lunch, unless it is a special lunch that has been built into the itinerary. They might drop you at convenient places with not much options (mostly cafe serving sandwiches or pastries). If you are expecting to have a full course meal, be prepared that it might not be every day you get to do that.

12 Be-My-Guest lunch/dinner is the most enjoyable part of the tour :) Don't miss it!

13. The optional tours are really optional. Many a times when I went with our local tour groups, they have optional tours which are not really optional because it is either the entire tour group go for it, or not to go for it. So unless the entire group happened to agree on the option, it is not really 'optional'. For Trafalgar, they will arrange for you to either head back to the hotel or some other shopping places if you are not joining. On rare occasions, you might need to wait for the other members to finish before heading to the next destination together.

14. Bring cash to pay for optional tours. Although you can pay for the optional tours using credit card, but their portable credit card machine can be a bit wonky especially if it is in remote places. My family paid by cash and it was very fast whereas I saw other families trying to pay using their credit cards for a few days because it just wouldn't work.

15. You might want to bring something dressier for special dinner(s). Do not be surprise if ang moh tour mates turn up for some musical or dinner and dance event dressed to the nines! On one of my trip, the travel director brought us back to the hotel to freshen before a traditional Scottish dinner show. Most of the ang moh tour mates came down in gowns and tuxedos!

End of Trip

16. Your travel director will arrange your airport transfer if you not extending, otherwise you will need to arrange your own airport transfer.

17. Some travel directors do not openly ask for tips. If there is a farewell dinner included in the package, that is usually a good time to give the travel director and bus driver their tips.

Review: Prorance Hair Rich Powder

I have little hair which makes my scalp obvious when I part my hair. I am not balding but because the scalp against my black hair makes it more obvious and ages me.

As you can see below, this was how obvious my scalp was before. As the top of my head is relatively flat, it makes my hair looks flat and sparse too.


Prorance Hair Rich Powder is the first cosmetic product I bought for my hair. I am not familiar with this brand but I note that they have lots of products for hair, so I do feel like they are a hair product specialist.

The product, with its black and gold theme, gives off a luxurious feel.



At the top of the cap is a mirror. A nice touch but I don't think I will be using it to view my application of the product on my hair.



Once opened, there is a white puff and upon shaking it with the puff facing downwards, there will be specks of powder coming out. The powder comes out quite easily. Reminds me of shaking pepper but odourless.



This was how it looked like when I tried shaking it on the back of my hand. The powder stays on quite well when I tried to dry wiped it, but can be easily removed with just water.



This was how my hairline looks like immediately after application. It does look better, especially when I am taking photos from the front. So far I have not experienced any discomfort from using this product. It doesn't feel itchy although I have to clarify that I was in an air-conditioned environment for most part of the time while using this product.

Review: Mizon Apple Smoothie Peeling Gel for sensitive, dry and flaky skin

I always have this problem of dry flaky skin when using BB cream or foundation. Despite several attempts at moisturising my skin, the problem still occurs. The patchy spots can become obvious especially in an air-conditioned room.

I read up on solutions to my problem and there will always be this advice to exfoliate your skin. It is a piece of advice which I took to heart and went in search of some simple exfoliating products. I am actually quite fair and my skin smooth with no breakouts. The only problem is dryness (not noticeable if I am not wearing makeup) and some sun spots at the cheek area. Because of my relatively good skin and complexion, I avoid putting on too much products on my face because after all, they are chemicals.

I bought a Japanese brand exfoliating paste from Tokyu Hands after noticing the 'natural' exfoliant, rice bran. It does a decent job in leaving my skin feeling squeaky clean but it also brings about a tightness to my skin. Although the exfoliant is natural, but it is really physically scrubbing away the skin cells, dead or not.

My second product was the Mizon Apple Smoothie Peeling Gel seen below. It comes in a standard 120ml plastic tube. It claims to use fruit extract to 'dissolve' the dead cells on your skin without damaging your skin.



The gel is translucent and after rubbing in circular motions for a few seconds, you will feel the granules on your skin.



The granules are not your dead skin cells, or at least not all of it are. There will be more granules if you use it directly on dry skin as compared to when your skin is wet. I applied a bit more around my dry flaky spots - around my nose and forehead. It soothes my skin and makes it a bit smoother and brighter. I don't need any moisturiser after using this product because it doesn't make my skin feel dry or tight.



Overall, I am pleased with this peeling gel from Mizon. I have been using it probably two or three times a week and so far no adverse effect.

Highly recommended!

Singapore Restaurant Week, October 2016: Umi + Vino @ Emporium Shohukin

The last restaurant week, we went to another one of Emporium Shokuhin's establishment, Takujo Fine Dining. The experience back then was enjoyable and worthy of visiting during the restaurant week. This time round, we decided to try Umi + Vino, a modern seafood joint that is part of Emporium Shokuhin.

The 3-course dinner give diners a choice of asian prawn stew or french oysters as a starter, a la plancha sampling platter or braised wagyu beef as a main, and a chocolate cake for the dessert. We got around to try each dish on the restaurant week menu.

I had read good reviews of their asian prawn stew, and true to that, it turned out good. The grilled prawns were served in a lemongrass-infused broth and with toasted bread. The highlight of this dish was the broth, which was full of flavour without over-killing the taste of the prawns.

On the other hand, the oysters were well, decent oysters. It was most definitely fresh, but the accompanying raspberry shallot vinaigrette did nothing much to it.

I was looking forward to my main course, the a la plancha sampling platter, which is essentially a mix of grilled seafood. It came with half a lobster, squid, prawns and a piece of rice cake. The prawns were cooked the same way as in the asian prawn stew - grilled and lightly seasoned. The lobster was of a decent size and they even extracted the claw meat from it's shell for you! The squid and rice cake were my favourite. I have a soft spot for squid, especially when it's grilled and lightly seasoned. The rice cake was like a MOS burger rice burger patty but with even better seasoning. It might come across as oily for some, but I thought it was a pretty good twist to plain old rice. The accompanying ginger shoyu sauce was not necessary at all and savouring the seafood on its own is more than enough. 

The portion of  braised wagyu beef was quite big, suitable for guys. However, it was too oily and rich for my liking.

Last but not least, the chocolate cake was of a certain quality, and not just a filler to the set meal. I was surprised that the cake was comparable to those found in specialised bakery shops. It wasn't a rich chocolate cake. The layers of chocolate sponge, whipped cream, liquer, nuts and chocolate mousse made it a light and enjoyable end to the meal.

Review: Grilled Scallops over at Unkai Japanese Cuisine

Grilled scallops (Hotate Tobiko) at $15 for half dozen, the only item I ordered at Unkai. They also sell raw oysters, sake sashimi and chilled/grilled crabs.

At $2.50 per piece, it was a good indulgence. Scallops were juicy with a pleasant torched taste.

51 Old Airport Road

#01-88/89 Old Airport Road Food Centre
Singapore 390051

Ma La Xiang Guo @ Bedok Interchange

Tried the Bedok Interchange's Ma La Xiang Guo twice to pen this review.

The concept is similar to the well-known Ri Ri Hong Ma La Xiang Guo in Chinatown. You just need to tell the stall helper what ingredients you would like, the level of spiciness and the staple to go with your xiang guo. The helper will then give you a tag and call out your number when it's ready. They also serve other Sichuan dishes like 'Baked fish (烤鱼)' and 'Water-boiled fish (水煮鱼)' which are all spicy food.

First impression of the stall puts me at ease. It looks cleaner and the ingredients neatly displayed in their fridge. I compared it to Ri Ri Hong which may be a bit unfair given that the Bedok ma la xiang guo stall is relatively new. 

What I like about the Bedok version over Ri Ri Hong is the variety of ingredients. More unique items include beef tripe, cuttlefish, pork innards and a wider variety of vegetables. Besides rice, you can also opt for Mantou which I saw many Chinese nationals ordering. Their pricing is also reasonable, like Ri Ri Hong - $1 vegetables, $2 chicken/pork and $3 seafood/beef/lamb.

My order of cuttlefish, kangkong, pork balls, beef tripe, pork belly, bean curd, enoki mushroom and a bowl of rice costs $13. Bear in mind that the Bedok version is saltier and you will definitely need some staple to go with it. Most of the time when I eat at Ri Ri Hong I don't need any rice to go with my xiang guo. Taste-wise, I think Ri Ri Hong still has that special fragrance coming from the bean paste, nonetheless, Bedok is a good alternative!

Review: Yong He Bak Chor Seafood Noodles

Tucked away in one corner of the coffeeshop, one might just missed it despite its bright and attractively taken display photos. Yong He bak chor seafood noodles is a relatively new stall in this old neighbourhood, but the description of their menu excites me.

I love my bak chor mee and I love seafood so this definitely attracts me. Their menu is simple with only 4 main course options. I always order their signature seafood bak chor mee ($5) while my mum likes to upgrade to the large prawn bak chor mee ($12).

This is what you get for their basic $5.50 seafood bak chor mee. A sweet prawn, some clams (they called it lala), braised mushrooms, braised pork, minced pork, sliced abalone, a scallop and lettuce.

While it has the usual bak chor mee ingredients, the slightly pricier price point can be justified by the seafood items. The prawn was sweet and fresh enough to suck the umami goodness from its head. Beware of the excessive pork lard if you are health conscious or not a fan of that. The only downside to this rendition of bak chor mee is the strip of braised pork which has been braised till black and dry. It is like eating a piece of bakkwa. They could have just used the normal poached sliced pork.

My mum's large prawn version. She claimed they were sea prawns and very good.

The shop is located at the coffeeshop just opposite Temasek Junior College. The coffeeshop also has a very interesting stall selling sandwiches and salad. Shall give it a try next time!

Address

Blk 18 Bedok South Road, 

Singapore 460018

Review: Ah Hua Kelong (The Bedok Marketplace)... from kelong to table top

As a huge fan of seafood, Ah Hua Kelong was high up on my must-try list when I first heard about it. I was pleased to know they had an outlet at The Bedok Marketplace in Simpang Bedok, which was a place I frequent. Their seafood are local, live and fresh from their kelong, grilled to perfection at their stall.

I got to say that after my first trip to Ah Hua Kelong, a second trip followed shortly. I have tried them twice and now I can give a partial verdict, i think. Staff was friendly and helpful, showing and explaining what are the items available that day. The two times I went, I ended up ordering sets that are not on the menu based on their recommendation.

My opinion of Ah Hua Kelong's seafood is that it is fresh and very briny. The molluscs were extremely briny, not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but I don't really mind. I must say the mussels were a big surprise. I tend to avoid mussels at buffet because they are kind of tough and has a cheaper taste as compared to oysters. Ah Hua Kelong's mussels were super soft and juicy. I didn't feel sick even after eating a number of them. They really changed my opinion of mussels.

The XXL clams were nothing noteworthy except for their size. We asked for the lalas to be cooked 'well-done'. These were huge and I cannot imagine myself eating it slightly blanched like the kind in laksa. The lalas were kind of tough and chewy maybe because of the doneness. 

Next up we had the prawns and scallops. The scallops are must-try! I love the sweetness of the scallops paired with the crispy shallots. The prawns were nothing to shout about, but enjoyable when paired with the thick black soy sauce with chilli padi.

The grilled sea bass was the last to arrive. During my first trip to Ah Hua Kelong, the fish was the star of the meal because of the soft and sweet fish, charcoal-grilled to perfection. There was no unpleasant odour or fishy smell from the fish. The chinchalok condiments goes very well with the fish and helps to cleanse the palate.

We paid $89 for the above items which is a new set currently not found on their menu. The staff said it was meant for 3-4 pax but even a small eater like me could easily finish half of the seafood. I would say at most 3 pax for this set if you add on rice for each person.

If it is your first time, you might want to go for their various set, but if you would like to save space to try out the other stalls' offerings, I recommend the mussels, scallops and sea bass!

How to get there by MRT

- Alight at Tanah Merah MRT

- Walk towards Katong Flower Shop

- Cut across the playground/park to Upper Bedok Road

- Walk along Bedok Road to Jln Chempaka Kuning

Review: Unboxing Longchamp Roseau Tote

This bag is full of regrets. Given another chance, I probably would not have bought the Longchamp Roseau tote. Instead, I would have saved up for the heritage version. The difference is the material used - split cowhide vs calfskin. The split cowhide gives off a plasticky cheap look.

Another regret is the choice of the longer handle over the shorter handle. The long handle makes it look more dated than it really is. The reason why I chose the long handle version was that I prefer carrying my bags on my shoulder and freeing up my hands.

Longchamp also had the reversible version for their roseau line. While the reversible ones look more modern and young, it doesn't come with an internal pocket. This lack of security makes me decided against the reversible.

For a work bag, I would still give this bag a nod, but if you are looking for feel-good work bag, this might not be for you.

Pros:
- Affordable considered it's 'branded'
- Roomy, with expandable snap sides
- Clean look with the bamboo closure adding a personality to the bag
- Storage pocket for storing loose items
- Light-weight
- A functional bag

Cons:
- Split cowhide material has a plasticky feel to it
- Dated design
- Bamboo closure might give you some problems if you are in a rush
- Looks slouchy and flat when empty

Watch the unboxing video here:

Review: Introducing the most comfortable heeled sandals...

M.gemi has always been high on my list of to-buys, but the shipping cost to Singapore always held it back. Was it worth to ship shoes which are considered heavy items all the way here? In my mind, I made a promise that I will buy when I see THE SHOE that I really like.

Here comes The Attorno, seemingly the perfect shoe for me with it's medium height block heels and in neutral tone. M.gemi has it in 3 colours - black, spice and taupe.

I'm always looking for apparels that are versatile so that's how The Attorno caught my eye. Some of M.gemi's designs were too flashy for my liking while others too caught up in curent trend. The Attorno seemed effortlessly classic and nailing it in all technical aspect.

I chose spice, although taupe (as seen above) looks great too. If I were in the states, I'm pretty sure I will be buying both colours!

The sandals arrived in the best packaging I ever come across for online shopping. Each shoe was wrapped in foam and stuffed to protect and retained it's structure. It was then wrapped in a pretty paper before being enclosed in a neat box. When opened, the first thing you see will be a personalised note from M.gemi. How cool is that! It is no wonder the entire package weighed more than 2kg and costed me quite a bit for the shipping :( That's basically the only cons I have about this purchase.

The sandals were P.E.R.F.E.C.T. no joke. I was very surprised with The Attorno and how comfortable it felt despite it being a heeled sandals. The heels were of perfect height, just to give me the extra height without being taxing on my feet. The inner leather lining and padded soles made it so comfortable to wear. I had also no problems with the leather straps being too loose or too tight since it's adjustable.

I know some of you wanted to know how does M.gemi stack up against Everlane's loafers and flats. While the Everlane shoes that I bought were quite different in style to The Attorno, but I can safely say that M.gemi's Attorno is much more comfortable than the two Everlanes that I own. If I'm looking for my next pair of shoes, it will probably be M.gemi instead of Everlane. That said, Everlane's other products are still pretty top notch and the design of their shoes does me feel like owning one!

I wish M.gemi would offer free international shipping or sale/discounts for international customers. The shipping is crazily expensive and is holding me back from buying out all colours of The Attorno haha.

Review: Grana Denim

I have been eyeing Grana items for some time. The materials they used for their products are said to be some of the best quality. It fits the needs of minimalists yet the funky colours add some personality. If you are a fan of Everlane, Cuyana or Zady, you would love Grana.

Their jeans were the ones that caught my attention since I needed some new ones due to my growing waistline. It is made of Japanese denim, which I am clueless what's so great about it. Nevertheless, I had to get it to see it for myself. I carted it out the moment they had it back in stock. Together with the high-waist jeans, I also ordered their A-line denim skirt which was another item I happened to want.

I added a size up because I hated tight jeans. It was a wrong move because it ended up looking at bit loose at my thigh area. Nonetheless, it was still wearable and I am not sure if my usual would be comfortable enough for me.

The packaging was beautiful. Shipping was fast. Everything was neat.

Didn't quite like the huge product name and sizing but wasn't a major problem since it is on the inside. The denim felt smooth and substantial. The design of their A-line skirt was very classic and definitely worthy of anyone looking at a capsule wardrobe.

A closer look at the stitching details on the high waist jeans. 

As you can see, the high-waist jeans fitted a bit loose on me. The high-waist is true to it's name - HIGH waist. I felt that it was too much that it looked a bit forced... like someone who wanted to look taller or have the illusion of long legs and end up over-doing it. I would give it a 7/10. 2 points deducted for being too high waisted, perhaps shortening the rise by 1.5cm would be good. 1 point deducted just because I ordered it slightly large and didn't fit me exactly.

The jeans and skirt were definitely true-to-size and comfortable enough. They do have other denim products as well as silk, poplin, cotton etc. Sign up for an account using this link and get 10% off your first purchase at Grana!

Understanding Gmarket's Smile Cash, Smile Point, Gcash, Coupon and Gstamp

For Gmarket users, you would be familiar with the various payment supplements or benefits that Gmarket has. Log in to your Gaccount and you will be greeted with a overview of your points, gcash, coupon and gstamps. With so many different types of benefits, I wished they would streamline some of them or expand them to make staying loyal with Gmarket more worthwhile.

I will describe the uses of each benefit in order of their value i.e. from most valuable to least valuable.

Smile Cash
This is cash. Your refund, compensation or shipping fee differences will be returned to you via smile cash. Another way of getting smile cash is through converting your smile points (I will touch on this later).

Gcash
This is similar to Smile Cash in the sense that they are both cash. However, you can only receive Gcash through events by Gmarkets. Another difference is that while you can withdraw Smile Cash to your bank account, you can't do that for Gcash.

Smile Points
Once you reached 10,000 smile points, you can convert it to Smile Cash. They have an expiry date of two years from when you first received the points. You can receive smile points through the daily lucky draw or applying for it when you clocked certain days of attendance.

Coupons
In most instances, you will only encounter coupons during your purchase. You can either exchange for it using Gstamps (refer below), through daily lucky draw or the basic monthly coupons.

Here's where you can download your monthly coupons:

You can check the conditions, expiry date and amount of your coupon in your Gaccount:

The coupons can be applied to your purchased product either on the product page or in your cart.

Gstamps

Basically kind of useless. You can only use it to draw or exchange for coupons. Like I mentioned earlier, in most cases there will not be lack of coupons, so I seldom have to use Gstamps. They are also one of the easiest to obtain - from daily lucky day to writing product reviews.

Which EZbuy service should I use? Ship for me or Buy for me?

EZbuy, formerly known as 65daigou, was one of the pioneering Taobao purchasing agents in Singapore. I have used their service to get some stuff from Taobao previously and it was a breeze. However, ever since Taobao started their own forwarding service, I have stopped using EZbuy.

Recently, I have been hooked on buying stuff from US. I came back to EZbuy again after finding out they now provide forwarding service for US parcels! I have since tried their Ship-for-me and Buy-for-me service and here's a lowdown on which service will be more suitable depending on your needs.

The Service
Ship-for-me means you place and pay for the order yourself and ask them to ship to EZbuy overseas warehouse. Thereafter, they will ship to Singapore and you pay for the shipment.
Buy-for-me means you ask EZbuy to help you place and pay for the order. On top of the shipping fee to Singapore, you also have to pay for an agent handling fee.

International credit card
This is the most important criteria in determining whether you can even use ship-for-me service. If the website you are buying from does not allow international credit cards or modes of payment e.g. paypal, you will not be able to use ship-for-me service. Your only option is to use buy-for-me and EZbuy will charge you an additional 10% handling fee on top of your product cost and agent fee (if any).

Agent Fee
In terms of pricing, the only difference between the two services is the agent fee. If you are familiar with the website you are purchasing from, you can use ship-for-me and save on the agent fee.
However, I do notice EZbuy does a lot of promotions where they waived the agent fee. You can also use EZbuy credits to offset part of the agent fee for buy-for-me.

Risk of missing/wrong parcel
What I refer to as missing parcel is when it goes missing from the shop to EZbuy warehouse. If you had chosen buy-for-me, you won't have this issue because EZbuy would be accountable for helping you purchase and ensuring it arrived at their warehouse. If anything goes wrong in between, I would expect them to be the ones liaising with the seller. Also, EZbuy helps to inspect the parcel to ensure the item the seller delivered is the right one e.g. colour, size is correct.

Website promotions
Some US stores may offer promotions where they require to key in promo code for a discount. Both service allows you to take advantage of the promotions. You can key it in yourself for ship-for-me or include in the remarks for EZbuy to do when they buy for you. However, certain promo code may have restrictions e.g. only for new accounts or the promo code is tied to certain email. In this case, you will only be able to do it through the ship-for-me service yourself.
Further to that, if you find yourself frequent a particular store often, you want to use ship-for-me service and start building up those loyalty points or VIP benefits yourself!

Timeliness
My experience with EZbuy buy-for-me service is that it can be slow. If the order is not straightforward, they might get back to you and seek your opinion before proceeding. For e.g. if you mis-calculated the total price (including the shipping), they will inform you that you need to top up additional $x and ask if you are agreeable to it. This might take one or two days depending on how fast they or you reply.
This also brings me back to my previous point on website promotions. If the store has a flash sale and an item is only on offer for a day, EZbuy might not be able to place the order in time or the product might be sold out.

I generally would prefer to use ship-for-me service and have used it at least 3 times already. I find their buy-for-me service to be very slow and I wouldn't have used it if not for the website doesn't allow international credit card. I paid for my item 4 days ago and till now I don't think they have purchased it yet. Day 1 was spent asking if I'm ok to top up additional 10% fee because the shop doesn't accept international credit card. Day 2 was spent telling me that I miscalculated the shipping fee which I have no idea why because when I carted it, it has free shipping. Day 3 was spent telling me that the link I gave them for one of the items did not work (that's because they took quite some time and the item was sold out). Now, I'm still waiting for the status to change from 'purchasing' to 'purchased' for my 1 item.

Review: Everlane's The Modern Point

If you followed my blog you would have read my review on Everlane's Modern Loafer which I said I was pleased with the look of the loafer.

Now, the very first shoe at Everlane that caught my eye wasn't the modern loafer, but the modern point. I was hesitant to get it because of the price but ultimately, the need to have it overcame my hesitancy. I was looking for a comfortable and basic shoe for everyday work wear and Everlane's The Modern Point just looks to be the one.

When I first opened the box and took out the pair of modern point, the first thought was 'wow, it's huge'. For a moment I thought I could have gotten a size larger. However, when I put it in, it fitted like a glove.

Like what the other reviews said, the leather used in the modern point is definitely softer than the loafer. Design-wise, it probably won't be much of a head-turner as compared to the loafer but at least it's sleek and clean-cut. For the record, I ordered half a size up from my usual size and it was the right decision. The modern point is more suitable for semi-formal and casual wear with the pointy toes giving it a more upgraded feel.

The soles are still an issue. You can see it has a plasticky shimmery look, so I added some anti-slip stickers to the front part. I would highly recommend buyers to do that as it can get slippery at times. I do appreciate the white strip design at the heel as it adds a touch of elegance to a otherwise standard looking pair of flats.

So far so good, I like how it looks on me though I have yet to walk long distance on my modern point, Hopefully it performs better than the loafer!

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Update: I figured I needed to size up by another 0.5! I'm a standard 6.5 but have gone with a 7 for the modern point based on Everlane's recommendation. Still, I feel it's a bit pinching on my heels and toes for one of my feet.

Review: Linjer Doctor Bag in Navy

The long-awaited review of Linjer's doctor bag. Ordered this from kickstarter almost half a year ago and finally received it in March.

First look
It came neatly packed, with the Linjer box nestled within a standard cardboard box. One look and you know this packaging is definitely fit for gifting. Everything was packed so neatly, from the padding of the bag down to the tying of the drawstrings on the dust bag.

The Bag

The leather smells divine and smooth to touch. The brass metal parts added a touch of elegance to the bag. It was slightly bigger than I imagined, and because it is a structured bag, I figured petite women might have an issue with it. Nonetheless, I have nothing to complain about the look of the doctor's bag.

After admiring my bag, it was time to open and see the insides. Like I said in my earlier post, the major problem of this bag was the hinges. It was so darn hard to open. In fact, I couldn't open it at all. I wasn't sure whether I should apply more force sor was I opening it the wrong way. I decided not to risk damaging my bag and drop Linjer an email.

Roman replied pretty fast, and suggested some ways to loosen the hinges. His reply did gave me some reassurance that things will be solved somehow. It made me feel that a real person is actually trying to help me solve my problem so I really appreciate that.

Here's a screenshot of Roman's message for those who are facing the same issue. Hope it helps.

So... I did try the above but it didn't help at all. I even got my mom to help with it and no matter how hard we pull or press or push, it didn't bulge a bit. At one point, the flap even sink further in until it was really hard to have a good hold of it to pull open the bag. Because of the pulling and pushing, my bag ended up with some finger nail marks :(

I dropped Roman another email, telling him that his methods didn't work. He was very apologetic and said he will send a new one over together with a small token that is not available on the webshop.

It took another 2 weeks or so before the new bag arrived. The small token wasn't there but that wasn't my motive so it didn't really bother me much. I tried opening the new bag the usual way and it still wouldn't open! Twice in a row, could it be that I really didn't pull it hard enough? I got my mom to help me again. We tried until our arms were aching and it didn't move a bit. 

My mom suggested putting some 'lubrication' so she got out her needle oiler and carefully put some at the hinges. We tried again. This time, it seemed there was some progress with the slightest creaking sound of two layers rubbing against each other. We worked on it for almost half an hour before it finally opened! The hinges were seriously too tight and it wasn't easy to close it too. Once closed, it took us a long time to open it again. 

While I appreciate Roman's effort in helping me solve my problems, the technical aspect of this bag is one major flaw. What's a bag if it's not functional? I have decided to take it out once in a while to open and close it to loosen the hinges before I dare to bring it out. I cannot imagine if I'm rushing for time and I had to struggle to open the bag just to get something from my bag! I do believe that over time it will loosen and it will be a lovely bag, but having to overcome this first obstacle is a big problem.

Overall

More photos of the bag's interior and close-ups can be seen below. Tight hinges aside, it really is a lovely and quality bag. The bag is spacious, sturdy and thoughtful. I would definitely see myself carrying it to work or a dinner. 

Linjer's next step is to really work on solving the hinge issue.