If you are ever in a fix that you have forgotten to arrange for flower delivery for friends or loved one, and desperately need an affordable bespoke bouquet delivered in 1 hour – look no further – we have One Hour Florist
With prices as low as SGD 45 for a premium surprise bloom box, they even saved your headache of going through a long list of bouquets to choose from which a very short comprehensive selection. As it is surprise bouquet, you just need to answer a few different options – age, relationship, occasion and one word to describe the recipient, they will choose the best possible combination of premium quality blooms – roses etc and your recipient will receive it in 1 hour!
This was exactly what I received on my birthday last month, the premium surprise hand bouquet. For ladies who seems to have it all, or you are unsure what to gift, flowers are the safest bet! Unpractical it may sound but all women, young or old love receiving fresh blooms on special occasion. I am no different.
One Hour Florist has a limited range on their menu to cater for last minute gifting – bloom box, bouquet , heart box and flower dome. For flowers where you have more time to cater and choose, there is the sister company Farm Florist. You can read my review here.
Inspired by quest to teach big J on water cycle (primary 5 science topic) and also partly to create some live home decor, I actually set my mind to set up to do terrarium during the circuit breaker. I actually own two terrarium cases (from past projects) but I am totally clueless what materials are needed for a terrarium. Hence, the project never took off during the circuit breaker. A recent article in the Strait Times also highlighted the sudden botanic boom, thanks to Circuit Breaker sighting reasons like more people become plant parents to relieve stress.
Finally after months of procrastination, I finally put my plans into action using the DIY terrarium kit from Masons Home Decor. They also have a very good write-up in their blog on their website on how to start your own terrarium project at home which I find most useful for a first-timer.
With the a one-page instruction provided together with the kit, it is pretty straight forward to make a terrarium in the comfort of home – no rocket science at all as I have outline below. I guess my project didn’t take off as I am unsure which material/soil/pebbles to buy to build a successful terrarium.
Everything you need to DIY an open terrarium Including gardening tools and water dispenserMy little gardeners each with a gardening tools provided in the DIY kit
We spend less than 1 hour making our own terrarium at home during the long weekend. These are the pictorial steps and I have also made a home video too!
Step 1 : Assemble a first layer small stones
Step 2: Add a thick layer of soil mix over stones
Step 3: Dig up holes 2 to 3cm deep to adding the plant – the cactus was the biggest , so we need a bigger hole too
Step 4: Arranging plant up to your liking , and most importantly cover roots
Step 5: Finally decorate with gravels, rocks , stones and ornaments
Care steps: Place the terrarium in moderate and indirect sunlights, and water the plants moderately once every week (at the soil area). As part of the kit, the water dispenser is also provided! Do water at the soil, not directly at the succulents.
Here is a step by step video of my kids building their terrrarium over the long weekend that just past.
With remaining soil, I wanted to also attempt to make a closed terrarium in order to bring science to live for my primary school going kids to learn and “see” water cycle in action. For closed terrrariums, fittonia plants are more suited than succulents. Do note that the closed terrarium case and fittonia plants were not part of the DIY terrarium kits but of my own. That said, the open terrarium created by the DIY kit is aesthetically more pleasing. With the closed terrarium, it is always fogged up due to water condensation – and we only get to open in like once every month as it is a self sufficient ecosystem.
Fittonia for closed terrrariums
So if you are like me , totally clueless what goes into a terrarium but would like to try to DIY a terrarium from scratch in the comfort of home, best to get this all encompassing DIY kit and you will have everything you need to DIY an open terrarium! And now I cross my fingers that the succulents will thrive under my care.
We may be accustomed to having pizza delivered but pasta, I seldom have pasta delivered as I worry it may be soggy or cold. I was pleasantly surprised it was not the case at all. For a lazy Sunday, I had all the best offerings from Pizza Delivery ordered for lunch. Sundays are usually very busy for me as most of the my kids have classes in the morning, hence sometimes lunch is often very simple and easy. So it was a very sumptuous meal last Sunday, complete with 2 12-inch handcrafted pizzas , 3 traditional pizzas and a side dish.
A bit about the pizzas offered by Pizza Delivery – they use their own secret sauce simmered for 8 hours each day. Just like the sauce, their dough are handmade from scratch every morning and made on the spot using custom-made Italian stone oven replica. They only use premium imported southern Italian cheese and using only the best ingredients. Finally, their pride is in their precisely 72 hours fermented dough using only premium and finely-grounded wheat flour important from Italy.
I ordered the Mistocarne Pizza and Hawaiian Pizza which are favourite flavours of my kids. Mistocarne pizza are the perfect choice for meat lover like big C as it has all her favourite ingredient – pork pepperoni, beef bolognese and chicken breast all in 1 one pizza For my pineapple loving boys, they love Hawaiian pizza cooked with tender chicken ham slices, classic Italian tomato sauce, juicy chicken breast, capsicum peppers, mozzarella cheese and topped with succulent pineapple chunks!
All pizza comes in small 6′ inches (4 slices), medium 9′ inches (6 slices) and large 12′ inches (8 slices). For now, its 50% off any 2 pizzas ordered, so this is a pretty good deal!
As for their traditional pasta offering , I was pleasantly surprised the delivered pastas came warm and taste almost like having it at the restaurant. Just a quick toss and some re-plating done , it is almost like having it at the restaurant! I tried the squid ink pasta, and for my bolognese loving girl , it has to be spaghetti bolognese and seafood loving boys – spaghetti al granchio.h
I loved the squid ink spaghetti for its overall taste, pasta was done al-dente and they used the freshest seafood ingredients – scallops, prawns, mussels, crayfish and squid and it was a huge portion – I couldn’t finish it all on my own! As for the spaghetti bolognese, it can’t get more traditional than this – a truly hearty meal – I can taste that it was done using home made sauce, not canned tomato sauce. To be frank, of the 3, I preferred spaghetti al granchio – I definitely preferred a creamier tomato sauce (tomato and white wine combi is a winner for me!) with the freshest seafood combination – crab meat and prawns! Absolutely delish!
I also ordered the crispy chicken wings as a side dish and my eldest boy finished 3 in 1 go! Surprisingly for a fried dish, the chicken wings travelled well and no sogginess. I loved the spicy mayo dip that accompanied the chicken wings!
All orders are delivered in 1 hour and free island wide delivery for orders more than SGD60. My order came on the dot as I opted for 12.45 -1.45pm time slot as they have 6 kitchens island wide. So if you are ever craving for italian pizza and pasta, do give Pizza Delivery for good quality offering and tested service delivery. This was our spread last Sunday for lunch!
I have been wanting to install digital lock for my front door. I am always burden by the need to always remembering to bring key out hence I have been ever locked out of home before – not a pleasant experience at all. I saw a friend of mine having digital lock at her home, boy, was it so convenient and secured!
So I have been doing a little research on digital locks and its technological evolution for a good quality digital locks that is not too unfriendly to my pocket. My search led me to Starke Premium Digital Locks that boast the most responsive digital lock interface yet with their proprietary SenseTouch™ technology. It is also voted as the best digital lock by www.drumitloud.com.
The single biggest reason to install digital locks is not purely due to convenience but SECURITY. Do you know that key locks have the highest risk of break-ins & theft due to easy lock picking. Also like me, it has the highest risk of getting locked out – as carrying keys are very inconvenient (I vouch to that! ) and you may even lose it. And key locks are least suitable for families with young children and elderly (my eldest owns a set of key in the event no one is home when he back from school – and I fear if he ever loses his keys)
Starke locks being fingerprint locks overcome all the limitation of traditional key locks. In comparison to password locks, fingerprint locks are even more secure as the passcode can be hack or the worst case , you forgot your own password.
Designed with German technology , Starke lock unlocks your home in 0.5s with just a light tap – no passcode needed! Using their patented PrintSave™ system, it is fast and accurate and stores up to 100 fingerprints!
In the world, where password get more complicated and many, one less password is always a welcome change! The lock has its own mobile app where you can let them in from wherever you are!
Starke locks carries both door digital locks and gate digital locks. For me, I am most keen in installing Starke Seamless range featuring 4 different types of locks with prices. The latest of its range is Starke Seamless™ Rim Fingerprint Digital Lock featuring all the latest features I mentioned above caught my mind.
For a slightly and more refined model albeit pricier, there is the Starke Seamless™ Advanced Push Pull Fingerprint Digital Lock featuring a sophisticated bronze knob to make seamless opening and closing – definitely a talking point for your guests before they step into your home!
Best go down to their showroom and check out the differences between the models and also ease of use. Prices starting from SGD 559.90 , I have known of brands that cost more than SGD 1k using old password technology so I feel that the pricing is very competitive given the many advanced features that they possess. All digital lock purchases come with free installation (contactless) and 3-year warranty.
Pre-covid , I travelled a fair bit for work – in this region , short haul flight with my office laptop and a trolley luggage back as my travel mainly span from Monday to Friday.
Whenever I travelled, I often fumbled with my laptop and my trolley luggage. I use a laptop bag but sometimes it is really not comfortable carrying the laptop bag along the many gates and in big airports like Changi Airport or HK International Airport, so I tend to put the whole entire laptop bag (with laptop of course) into my trolley luggage ( but then I wouldnt check it in as I worry about the laptop, hence i need to bring it up the cabin. The only way I can check it my trolley luggage is to carry my laptop bag separately from my trolley luggage, which means I have to lung my laptop back whenever I go. I have seen my colleague carrying backpack to store their work laptop but it doesn’t look sturdy nor stylish.
So I always had this problem of managing my laptop and my trolley luggage for my short business trip until the Gaston Luga Biten 15″ came into my life. All my problems resolved with the super stylish and functional bag.
Fans of Scandinavian design would immediately recognise that Gaston Luga from Stockholm, Sweden. And if you like Scandinavian design, you will have a hard choosing the bag for you. I chose the Biten and I didnt regret one bit due to the 5 reasons below as it checked all the boxes of the things I look for longest time in a back pack for my work travel – the first 3 is specific to the Biten (these features won me over the more popular Praper)
1. A dedicated outer compartment for my laptop
Can you believe my laptop has its own compartment, it is not with main compartment? How convenient is it that I can easily reach for my laptop if I need to do last minute work while waiting for my boarding. I don’t have to fumble those the main compartment before i can reach out to my laptop. They have also cleverly added a compartment in the main compartment which can also be use to store laptop but I would prefer the outside compartment any time.
2. Slip-over Luggage strap
Trust me when you are browsing through the Gaston Luga website, you will have a happy problem, all the designs are so stylish yet functional and many colour ways for each design, so I had a tough time choosing THE bag for my purpose. Specifically for laptop and travel, the recommended model are the Praper, Classic, Biten , some other models can also fit in 11 to 13″ laptop for everyday carry. But the one feature that sold the Biten to me was slip-over luggage strap for easy travelling! I believe only this model has this feature in the entire Gaston Luga’s range. This is a must have feature for work travel – so I can either carry it or have my trolley luggage carry it!
3. Hand-carry version
The other feature that sold this model to me is the double hand-carry straps. So besides carrying on my bag, on days when the bag doesn’t contain a laptop or heavy barang-barang (malay for goods), I could easily hand carry the Biten instead back carry for a different feel and style! How versatile!
4. Great fit, durable and almost water proof I also planned to use this for other travels like weekend travel so it has to be durable and waterproof . Made of polyester, it is light and smooth to touch, and my water test, the water didn’t seep in. The bag comes with padded strap for comfort and weight distribution. The Biten is the second largest bag of Gaston Luga’s range, I was worried it may be too big for a lady, but it isnt bulky at all. Not entirely a very feminine bag, (there are more feminine looking bags in their range like the Classy, Hawthorn or the Parlan) but my main aim was for work travel, so I love the ruggedness of the Biten.
Rain drops on my Biten
5. Functional yet super stylish
Something are functional yet failed miserably in its design. This is not the case with my new love. I choose the black-brown colour way to visibly see the contrast between the bag and its handles and buckles. It also has a very lovely maroon inner side which I absolutely adored which breaks the monotony of the overall black. Functional part of this – front pocket, side pockets and a GL signature passport pocket (a secret magic compartment for easy reach item -passport, handphone, powerbank (choose 1) located at the back for safety and security. Let the photos explain it more!
I can’t wait for this Covid-19 to blow over and resume some business travel and truly test out how functional, stylish and durable is the Gaston Luga Biten for me! For now, Biten its just within Singapore and probably to office if any.
Quote mypreciouzkids for 15% off on all items storewide and free delivery and returns. One free tote bag with every purchase of backpack (till 17 August)
None of my 4 kids have done proper art classes before. They all love art in their own ways -doodling, art and craft, colouring etc but simply I did not have time for art classes , as all other enrichment classes took first priority – Chinese, music, swimming , sports (older kids are tuition and tuition) ,art is often my after thought, the most is just a one-off holiday drop off class. So probably in a year once or twice. As much they have asked , I simply can’t find the time to squeeze art classes into my weekly schedule.
Recent years, I have a change of heart seeing how much my younger boys adored art and craft. (It is quite a huge regret that my older 2 kids did not indulge in a proper art class at all in their early years so I try to make it up for them through holiday classes when I can find pocket of time from my schedule and also theirs) So I did the easy route – sign up for the art classes in child care! I don’t know how well is was carried out though I do see samples of of their art work but they seem happy and contented so I let that arrangement continue as I do not need to do any logistically arrangement and it was conducted during child care timings. But unfortunately due to Covid restriction, that too much a stop in the art classes in child care as it is an external provider.
During circuit breaker I signed up zoom art classes for both younger kids. Though it maybe effective for older kids who can listen to instructions better, for Caleb, he very much want to do what he wants and I am no art teacher, hence finding it hard to follow what the session set out to achieve.
So when the invitation for Caleb to join 1 term of classes with Heart Studio, it was just the right timing and opportunity to finally enrol my child for the very first time in an established art studio like Heart Studio.
Heart Studio founder Rena Chew truly believes that Arts helps to develop many life skills which are important for children to navigate the future world. Some skills like perseverance, patience, problem solving skills, creativity are nurtured so its not all about producing a beautiful art piece or craft, but also to nurture a child holistically. The studio not only teaches techniques like lines, shapes and forms but knowledge of artists and styles and catered predominantly to kids ages 4 to 12 (they also have classes for adults too).
Here are some photos of the cosy art studio.
The studio caters to different age groups – younger kids to develop motor skills, older kids to develop focus and attention.
I will be sharing more about Caleb’s journey with Heart Studio in a subsequent post. Do check out their current programmes and even the upcoming July’s holiday classes and giveaway below.
Love how other students art pieces serve as inspirations
Giveaway
Rena has kindly sponsored next week’s July online holiday programme for 2 lucky readers just in time for the school holidays next week. (1 on FB and 1 on IG)
How to participate: Participants will have to
✅ “like” and “follow” @heartstudiosg and @mypreciouzkids on IG and FB ✅ “like” and “share” the FB post or IG post (or both to double your chances) ✅ tag 5 friends (all in 1 comment) ✅ “like” & tag @mypreciouzkids @heartstudiosg in re-share!
Giveaway ends 17 July 2359.
Terms and conditions:
o Online programme class x 2 to be given away (using Zoom)
One thing in my home I do not mind paying top dollar for are bedding, mattress, bed sheet, pillow, quilt etc. My mattress is the MOST expensive item in my household, costing more than my TV as I see it as 10-year (or longer) investment and we spending minimally 8 hours a day on it. Similarly for bedsheet and bed linen, I go for high thread count as comfort for 8 hours of my day is of utmost important to me personally!
As yet, I have not try out latex-based pillows which are famed for being cool and super comfy.
I have used this pillow for 1 week and here is my review. These are my 3 reasons I do think that this is a good choice of pillow albeit being a bit pricey but for the comfort and durability, I truly believe it is well worth the money.
1. Super cooling using ultra cooling tech technology
I usually sleep in non air-conditioned room and the pillow doesn’t feel warm at all. The pillows comes with a removable Tencel fabric pillow cover (to extend the pillow’s life in the long run) . Latex as also known to be good for heat dissipation and it is ideal for hot weather climate.
2. Comfort
Often compared with memory form, latex pillow are bouncier and softer hence more comfortable. Being impression-resistant, it can also hold its shape for many years while still feeling soft and comfy.
Latex is also antifungal and hypoallergenic, which makes it a hygienic, comfortable pillow choice.
3. Finally, most important of it all, support like no other. Being of denser material compared to memory form, it gives you the right level of sleep support. The pillow is moulded to my head and neck. With proper support to head and neck, it relieves pressure on the cervical spine. This ensure that I wake up well rested – no sore neck, shoulder or back!
Thanks to my latex pillow from Origin Mattress, I have well-rested and better quality of sleep the past week!
Origin Mattress also offers super fast delivery where you can receive within 2 hours, 30-Night trial and money-back guarantee.
Do follow Best in Singapore for recommendations of best offerings in Singapore!
By the same people from 8 Crab who brought good quality zhi-char crab dishes for home delivery, now they introduced 8 Durian with the same commitment to good quality durian like they did for crabs.
Some of the reasons for their better quality durians – advanced irrigation, no overcrowding at their plantation, using only organic fertilisers , perventive nets so that the durians do not fall to the ground and well-trained durian choppers. For durian lovers, you can read all about their plantation process here
Finally, the transportation process is vital as you get fresh durians that are less than 12 hours from time of plucking. Their shipment arrive twice daily from Pahang and cleared within less than 3 hours. It is a guarantee that the durians arriving at your home is less than 12 hours from the time of plucking!
Here is a snapshot of how to identify mao shan wang for all durian lovers – it will definitely be a good knowledge when you are introducing durian to overseas tourists visiting as they will be in awe with your knowledge.
From their website, you can tell if the durians are in stock or out of stock and the prices reflects the current prices and it fluctuates depending on the supply.
Here was my recent order from 8 Durian to satisfy my family’s cravings.
I was sent all 3 variants to try – all mao shan wang but of different grades – A, AAA and premium black gold.
Premium Black Gold Durian – Pahang High Mountain PlantationPremium Mao Shan Wang ‘AAA Grade’- Pahang High Mountain PlantationMusang King 15 Year Tree Premium Mao Shan Wang ‘A Grade’
If I had it on its own, all of different variants are very good on its own . But if i really have to die die must choose one, I would prefer AAA grade as the taste is quite similar to black gold at a cheaper price and perhaps less filling. So from a price point and satisfaction of cravings, AAA was good enough for me!
See how much 3 of my kids enjoyed their durians just like their mummy and they cant tell one grade from another ( I only have a kid who is anti-durian which i really dont understand why because I am sure I had my fair share of durian when the anti-durian kid was in my tummy).
The one thing I don’t mind paying the higher premium prices for mao shan wang, is the quantity of flesh-look how small the seeds are! You really get a lot of flesh as compared to their cheaper cousin like red prawn which has much bigger seeds which adds to the weight too.
Each box contains 450 +/- 10 grams of wholesome durian flesh and seeds. The flesh to weight to whole durian husk ratio is 1:4, therefore, every package of heat sealed 450 grams of durian will come from 1.8 kg of husked durians. The current prices for mao shan wang starts from sgd 21kg. Do order in the mornings as it is run out of stock in the late afternoon pretty fast.
There is free island wide delivery for orders above SGD 10 orders and for any late delivery or unsatisfactory orders, you will get a full refund via store credits through this form.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I have paid additional top-up beyond the sponsored amount. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
With the deluge of durian resellers in the markets and every one is jumping onto the online bandwagon to sell durians (I even heard of beauty stores selling durians), who do you choose from. Of course, there are the old-time favourites but some of them are not so nimble in terms of fuss-free ordering and delivery. With the prices getting more transparent online, how does the quality differs from the famous one vs the newer online vendors?
Here comes website like Best in Singapore which get durian lovers like me to try out the current offerings in the market. They sent me 3 different variants of durian to try from Durian Delivery. I have not had my share of durian since the season starts – so this is my first time trying durians from this season’s harvest.
I was gifted 3 types – red prawn, Mao Shan Wang and Black gold (each 400g) to sample. I love all kinds of durian frankly, no preferences but when you put them side by side in 1 tasting- of course I will have my preferences. Clearly, to me the red prawn was far less superior and had a bigger seed / ie less meat. Taste wise, it is more subdued as compare to the other 2 – two cousins of mao shan wang. Taste wise for both mao shan wang is similar -, bitter and sweet and a complex rich after taste. The black gold was “thicker and creamer” and I felt more full after 1 seed as compared to the rest.
Seed from msw
I wouldn’t say that it wasn’t good but in comparison, I preferred the mao shan wang as it was less heavy. Also it really depends when you are having it – on an empty stomach , black gold may hit all the right spots. I had put the remaining durians in the fridge, and I may even get a different dimension and preference after having them later on a different timing. I tried the durians at night (after refridgeration) and they really tasted very good especially some moisture penetrating into the flesh hence making the overall taste more moist as compared to initial tasting when the durians first arrived.
That said overall this raining season harvest may have diluted the taste abit(though I am not a durian connoisseur) , I thought I had it better the previous season. But the season has only just begin, a craving is a craving – I don’t think I cant wait for the next season to satisfy my cravings. Don’t wait any longer as you never know when the supply will dwindle or if the quality will be affected by the rainy season . For now, this season offers good and affordable durian (for now -prices fluctuates like share market).
Do follow Best in Singapore for recommendations of best offerings in Singapore, and where to order the best durians in Singapore!
I have a love and hate relationship when it comes to birthday cakes. Annually, I would need to order at least 4 cakes , 1 for each kid or even more as we also celebrated their birthdays in the child care as well/ In my earlier years of motherhood, I was fascinated with fondant cakes as they were all so pretty in photos and in real life however, when the parties were done and dusted, no one ate the fondant layer and it was all thrown away, the remaining cake was often much lesser due to the thick fondant layer covering the entire cake.
Then in recent years, I changed my allegiance to 100% customised cream cake, with decor all done with cream mainly so that there is nothing to be thrown away, all consumed – no wastage. But often, I had to crack my head what design to do, as I wanted the cake to suit the theme of the birthday celebration.
As the kids get older and after more than 1 decade of celebrations, I have tried all themes possible (esp for boys, superhero, cartoons, etc I have done it all), this year’s celebrations were “themeless” , so I can just order any random , off-the-shelf cake without any customisation.
For younger boys’ joint celebration held on Sunday, 14 June (small C turns 5 on 14 June, and small J turns 7 on 18 June), they requested for an ice cream cake – so I ordered a full of gummy bears ice cream cake -nothing fanciful like in the past year due to subdued celebrations , no thanks to Covid.
With all celebrations on Sunday done and dusted , the thought of ordering small J’s a cake for his actual day slipped my mind entirely until an invite by Whyzee cake shop on 17 June to give their cakes a try. Call it mind-reading or just plain coincidence, I asked if it could be delivered the very next day as it is small J’s actual birthday (my past experiences, I had to order a few weeks in advance , no last minute business else no cake!) and guess what, Whyzee even do 1 hour delivery (for cakes, really)
The 1 -hour delivery service is not just 1 or 2 cakes but a very good variety from mango, strawberry shortcake, black forest , rainbow cake, cheese cake – I am certain you can find one of your liking – pretty decent list with classic favourites too!
As I had more than 24 hours between my order and the celebrations, I thought I should also look at the main list to see if there is something more interesting to try and still make it for next day delivery -there was not an inch of doubt, it has to be the Kit Kat M&M cake (which was delivered on the last slot the next day, I ordered quite late into the previous night).
The real cake looks even nicer than on the website, border all lined with Kit kat and M&M filled the entire top surface of the cake! I don’t think any kid wont be floored by the mere sight of M&M, Kitkat and chocolate cake!! It is like the dream cake of any kid!
The cake passed the look test, now it is down to the taste test, would it be like the fondant cakes i used to order – nice to see, but taste so-so. There were 2 choices of flavour for this variant – vanilla or chocolate – being a big lover of chocolate, I chose chocolate over vanilla and my choice is like the arrow hitting the bull-eye. Moist,fudgy, not overly sweet (it will be if you eat with the M&M and Kitkat ) but on its own, it is just a decadent chocolate cake! All orders come with complimentary cake toppers and candles – just note in the option before carting out.
A bit about Whyzee cake shop, they are an artisanal cake shop located at Clementi . They only use premium ingredients , offers only freshly baked cake with no preservatives. They are also offer eggless and vegan cakes too! They are operating on a totally online model through their website at www.cakedelivery.com.sg with 6-inch cakes starting from as low as SGD 39.90 (there is a delivery charge of SGD10, no self collection ,free delivery for orders above SGD 80) . For 1 hour express, the delivery charge is SGD 25 – I would definitely pay for this in order not too miss the actual day celebration – no one like to receive the cake a day late.
Quote JAIMECHAN15 for 15% discount off all orders with no minimum purchase, with expiry on 31 July 2020.
