Author’s Blurb: I don’t make it a habit to do my monthly shopping for pharmacy supplies on platforms like GrabMart, but when I do, it’s fairly pleasant. They deliver supplies on time, most of what I need is already listed, and the delivery fees are decent enough.

So although what they’re doing is nothing new—Esyms believes that more could be done to improve a user’s experience.

Founder Lam Wee Yong, who has 15 years of training as a pharmacist behind him, told Vulcan Post that he intends on making this a more occurrent and reliable process.

Who Does Esyms Serve?

“There was one customer who came to us with her 70-year-old father’s prescription, who was burdened by the costly list of medications bought from the hospital,” Wee Yong started.

Added on to that stress was the hassle of delivering these medications all the way to her father’s residence in Sungai Petani.

“We (Esyms) managed to source for a cheaper alternative brand with her doctor’s consent and get one of our partner pharmacies to make a special order for the medication—which we deliver to her father every month,” he said.

Such recommendations and advice come from licensed pharmacists that can also use the platform to consult users.

This is done via a telepharmacy system that has live chat or video, where licensed pharmacists get to answer all your pressing questions—much like what you get when you walk into an actual physical pharmacy.

Wee Yong told us that the platform handles an average of 350 daily queries on product recommendation, medical consultation, wellness and beauty, etc.

The amount of those queries have also increased substantially due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 virus outbreak.

Although Wee Yong understands that there’s more to an on-demand delivery service just being ‘fast’, speed is a major concern for this startup.

He told us how this is emphasised at every phase of the process. “When customers place an order, our real-time ordering system will automatically connect to the pharmacies closest to them.”

Within 30 minutes, there will be at least 30 pharmacies looking at the order so that they can be the ones to fulfil it.

In the case that it’s not fulfilled due to stock unavailability, the customers will then be informed.

Wee Yong told us that confirmed orders should take less than 3 hours to reach the customer safely. This same-day delivery option is available to all customers around Klang Valley.

For those who stay far away, they do have the option to schedule the delivery instead, where they can get it within the next day.

The Competition Is Tight, But They’re Still Growing

Of course, this is a path that’s already been explored by many.

Platforms like BIG Pharmacy and Lovy Pharmacy (who also allows registered pharmacists to conduct video consultations with users) have already been in the market for years.

Lovy Pharmacy is in fact a product of the BP Healthcare Group, which has the ability to also offer competitive medical counselling, assessments and disease management at their physical centres.

Esyms definitely has their work cut out for them if they’re planning to go against these giants.

Wee Yong is aware of the strong competition. But his faith in his venture is supported by his solid experience in the industry and all its inner workings.

“We have extended our partnership to more than 350 pharmacies and 80 health service providers now. Esyms currently also serves 33 corporate clients, and we have over 180k users in the database through website and app services,” Wee Yong explained.

To one-up their competitors, Esyms hopes to bring in more unique and exclusive products instead—ones that fall into the category of health supplements and superfoods.

When it comes to the near future, Wee Yong told us that his goals would be realised when they are able to partner with more than 1,000 pharmacies and other health providers around the country.

Thus far, Esyms has received about US$750k (RM3.27 million) in seed funding from angel investors.

Backed by this, Wee Yong hopes to grow the Esyms empire to hopefully one day also deliver medication from private and public hospitals, and to branch out their telepharmacy features to professionals across disciplines (paediatrics, medical sales and procurements, geriatrics, etc.)

Bottom Line: Having multiple options for getting medicine and health supplements delivered to you is always good, but even more so during this COVID-19 outbreak at the time of writing.

• You can read more about other Malaysian startups here.

Featured Image Credit: Esyms

Author’s Blurb: After seeing a whole lot of articles surrounding the impact of the lockdown and its adverse effects on the tourism industry, I got to thinking about the F&B industry as well.

News of the lockdown came down hard on restaurants and eateries across the country, with strict regulations against patrons dining in.

According to the National Security Council, such locations are still allowed to operate, but only to fulfil takeaway orders or deliveries.

All of this is expected to be reinforced until the end of the month. But then again, are we honestly confident about the partial lockdown only lasting until then?

We can’t say for sure that we’ll be able to contain COVID-19’s spread in only 2 weeks.

So, what does this spell for restaurants and eateries everywhere?

To see what’s going on behind the scenes, I talked to the founders of MyeongDong Topokki (Vincent Lua), Madhatter Desserts (Marcus Low), Strangers at 47 (Sean Ooi), MyBurgerLab (RenYi) and EPIC Food Hall (Wick Kee).

The Situation Is Different For Each Business

Yes, there’s no denying that physical footfall will suffer. But Vincent Lua, CEO of MyeongDong Topokki isn’t concerned that the consequences will be drastically negative.

“Since then we are a fast-casual concept restaurant that is more likely to be focused on the delivery format, (unlike BBQ or casual dining), our delivery orders still remain strong.”

Sean of Strangers at 47 had hoped that help will come from the government, but to no avail so far.  

“We were hoping that the stimulus packages by the government were also directed to F&B businesses like ours but sadly, there are no current measures to assist F&B businesses.”

On the other hand, Wick Kee, who founded EPIC Food Hall (previously known as EPIC Fit Meals Co.) shed light on a different side of the story.

“Frankly speaking, we are experiencing the opposite. We face the problem of managing the heavy surge in orders and ensuring prompt deliveries,” he explained.

Wick Kee also mentioned that over these few weeks, he’s noticed an increase in adoption of food delivery by customers—some who’ve never even ordered before.

Dealing With Reduced Incomes And Other Woes

As dine-in operations come to a halt, I still had one burning question in mind.

Would this in any way affect the wages of waiters, waitresses and other members of service staff considering they might be seeing less foot traffic for the next 2 weeks?

RenYi told us that myBurgerLab (MBL) is looking to cushion the potential nasty effects by reducing and spreading out their work hours over the coming weeks.

“We have made a commitment to take care of the ground level team first and not have their pay affected in any way unless necessary.”

He also told us that he and his other heads of departments will be amongst the first people to take a 10-30% pay cut. “Our frontlines work the hardest and without them, we at HQ are nothing.”

While Sean echoed these sentiments, Wick Kee told us that EPIC Food Hall adopted a whole other approach altogether.

“To be completely honest, we are actively recruiting. We’re not undertaking any changes in managing employees besides enforcing stricter controls on personal hygiene and food handling.”

They are, however, looking to renegotiate rental terms with their landlords, mainly to offset their loss from stopping the dine-in part of their business.

As of last month, more and more Malaysian retailers have undergone similar discussions in an effort to get shophouse owners and landlords to give tenants a six-month rental rebate of up to 30-50%.

All of this came after countries like Hong Kong and Singapore announced that they were doing so to help retailers ride out the effects of the outbreak.

Both MBL and Strangers at 47 told us that they’re also in the midst of that conversation with their landlords.

The hit has been hard for restaurants like MadHatter though, who has seen a lot of their catering gigs reduced due to the postponement of a lot of major events.

“We have reduced hours now. But there will be no pay cuts at the moment. It is implemented until however we see fit based on the current situation,” Marcus said.

The Contingency Plan For 2 Weeks (Or More)

As there’s no way of knowing whether or not the situation will be extended beyond these 2 weeks, Vincent isn’t taking any chances.

“Having a strong presence online is key. MyeongDong Topokki’s current plan is to launch cloud kitchens nationwide aggressively to reach out to the market to the maximum,” he continued.

At this period persistency is key as many will choose to give up.

Vincent Lua, CEO of MyeongDong Topokki

Their venture into cloud kitchens is just one of the many ways they plan to keep operations alive and bustling.

Vincent is also ramping up delivery efforts through third-party services and partners, but also considering other options when the time is right.

“We are ready for alternative delivery which is hiring our own delivery team to cater to the needs of the public,” he said.

RenYi of myBurgerLab told us that they’re focusing on ‘a thousand and one contingency plans’ at once—so they’re not caught off guard by anything.

“From considering how we keep on going providing service, managing inventory in the event of a total lockdown, how to pay the bills and salaries, getting bank loans to weather the storm and to continue marketing without sounding desperate—it’s been a battle every day for the past 3 weeks,” he said.

They’ve also planned ahead so much so that they’ve planned on the next step to take in case there’s a confirmed COVID-19 infection within the team.

This is done with temperature checks for their Geeks (members of staff) and even respective delivery riders.

“Sales has been on a decline, but not to a level where we are in the red, so that’s okay,” Ren Yi added.

To be totally transparent, he also explained that if push comes to shove and they needed to close the business, it is a step they are willing to take.

“We are in the midst of securing a bank loan to tie us over this period. We do have other ideas in the pipeline but it all depends on the situational condition.”

EPIC Food Hall has also implemented such temperature checks, as well as other SOPs (sanitisation of all human touchpoints, contactless pick-up, delivery, etc.).

Strangers at 47 told us that they’re also in the midst of ideating for other ways of promotion during these times.

“We also may develop new food items specifically for take away. This depends on the development of the COVID-19 spread,” he said, adding that the business was still exploring more permanent strategies as we speak.

According to Marcus, even with all the precautions taken, there is the uncertainty of whether or not these steps are enough.

“At the moment we are just making small adjustments. The current situation is so volatile that we have to stay on our toes,” said Marcus, founder of the Damansara Utama cafe.

Bottom Line: It’s not an ideal situation, but with the fact that food deliveries are so widespread and widely used—I don’t think the situation has reached a scary boiling point as of yet. Only time will tell whether or not this momentum is able to last, but I do have faith that if marketed appropriately, these businesses would be able to pull through.

• You can read more about other F&B related pieces we’ve written about here.

Featured Image Credit: EPIC Food Hall

With the COVID-19 numbers going above 900 positive cases and two deaths from the virus, we’d want to limit our movements outside and also our interactions with others.

But that can be difficult when you see others caught up in a frenzy of panic buying and a spiral of negativity.

For most of us, we don’t want to take all the necessary precautions but end up infected because of too-close contact with a cashier or infected money. Making payments fast, easy and contactless is a key step to minimise our risk. Delivery services also play a key role at this point in time.

This is what Boost is trying to do, giving users the option to pay for necessities all through an app so you can keep you and your family safe.

To help reduce the financial burden of their users, they’re also offering cashback and discounts when you pay using Boost as part of their #BoostGotYou campaign.

Boost is an e-wallet app that can be used to pay bills, make online or offline purchases, top-up your mobile account and pay for parking.

1. Get Free Life Insurance

With the growing concerns on the impact of the virus, Under the Boost Care Initiative, Boost partnered up with Prudential, to offer free life insurance with special COVID-19 coverage.

There are a few criteria that you’ll have to pass to be eligible:

• Be a Boost Premium Verified User (Identification Verified),
• Between the age of 18 to 55,
• Not under any other Prudential life insurance.

We asked Boost whether it applies only to Boost e-Tunai users, but they assured us any Boost user can enrol, but success depends on eligibility and limited to the first 200K enrolments.

Check your eligibility and enrol for the free life insurance here.

2. Get Your Food And Drink On From The Comfort Of Your Home

So, what do you do if you run out of groceries? You can’t rely on just eating Maggi for the whole two weeks.

Well, you can, but that’s probably not the best choice to keep your diet so limited, especially if you want to stay healthy and keep your immune system strong.

Fortunately, you can still order your food and groceries online, which can then be delivered to you.

Through the #BoostGotYou campaign, Boost has partnered up with brands such as dahmakan, DeliverEat, HappyFresh, PotBoy, Hungry, Qoo10 and Drinkies for all your food and drinks. 

For our friends in Sarawak, Boost is also collaborating with Planet Kuching and DeGrocery so you can still get your groceries and food delivered to you.

When you pay for these services using Boost, you’ll get more than just Boost coins. You’ll be able to get 10% cashback of up to RM10*.

*Note: Only applicable to the first 2,000 transactions on each platform and can be redeemed twice per user.

The brands have quite a selection and you don’t have to be at risk and expose yourself in the crowd that’s panic buying, emptying shelves and hoarding toilet paper all for themselves.

3. Get Your Bills Settled Digitally

To relieve some of your bill payments and make payment easier, bills can be paid through Boost. If you’re paying your bills for the first time through Boost, you can even get up to RM20 in cashback.

As for new prepaid number users, topping-up through Boost can give you RM3 cashback for 3 months. If you’ve reloaded through Boost before, you can also stand a chance to win RM1,000 if you top-up through the app now.

4. Get Some Electronics To Pass The Time

If you missed out on buying a new game console or new games to fill up your time during this period, you can still do so through PrestoMall, which will be operating as usual.

The site also has an abundance of snacks for you to stock up on so you can game and snack all day long. When you checkout with Boost, you can also get 10% cashback of up to RM10*.

*Note: Only applicable to the first 1,000 transactions on each platform and can only be redeemed once per user.

5. Get To Pampering Yourself

Since we’re stuck at home, we might as well get some self-pampering done.

Watsons is still doing online delivery for goods ranging from male skincare products, daily essentials such as soap, sanitary products and vitamins, and hair colour touchups, so you can still rock that new hair colour, in the comfort of your home.

You can get 10% cashback of up to RM10 when you pay with Boost*.

*Note: Only applicable to the first 1,000 transactions and can only be redeemed once per user.

Caring’s eStore is still operating, so you can still grab your healthcare items online. If you pay with Boost, you’ll get a voucher to redeem a free Netcare Instant Hand Sanitiser on the eStore (campaign ends on March 31).

6. Get Discounts On Game Credits

Just a few days ago, Steam had a record-breaking 20 million users on the platform worldwide, largely thanks to COVID-19 making it necessary for everyone to stay indoors.

For all the gamers, Boost is also offering discounts up to 50% on game credits to keep you sane throughout this period. You can get discounts on game credits such as Asphalt 8, A-Cash, Garena, PlayStation, MyCard, Steam and Razer Gold.

Now that you’re spending more time online, it would also be wise to keep yourself safe with Kaspersky Internet Protection too as Boost is offering it at 5% off.

7. Catch Up With Your K-Dramas

If you’re all about Viu and chill, you can also pay for your subscription with Boost.

But, Viu is not limited to just K-Dramas, as they have a plethora of other offerings such as HK dramas, Chinese series and even Japanese series. These should last you fairly well if you know what Viu offers.

Boost also offers discounts of up to 33% for users who purchase Viu subscriptions through Boost. From March 21 to May 17, customers who purchase any Viu subscription via Boost can stand a chance to win 3 months free subscription.

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If you don’t have a Boost account, set up only takes a minute. All the app needs are your mobile number, email address and your name. After that, you’ll need to set up a passcode for transactions and you are good to go.

The Basic account does limit you to a maximum of RM200 in the account. If you verify your identity, the limit will be raised to RM1,500 instead.

During this vital period, it is best for everyone to hunker down and wait for the virus to blow over. It’s encouraging to see that tech companies are stepping up their game to make this process as painless as possible.

• For more details on the campaign, click the link here.
• Enrol for the Boost x Prudential Life Insurance here or read the FAQ here.
• Download Boost now from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Important Announcement: Celcom encourages all Malaysians to stay at home and practice social distancing during the Movement Control Order.

Malaysians nationwide are now experiencing something unprecedented in our modern age: having to stay at home for extended periods of time.

Not all of us will be having the same experience—for some, it’s work as usual, for others, it’s a time to perhaps enjoy a few movies, pick up some new skills through e-learning, or reconnect with the friends and family we were always too “busy” to catch.

And others could even be forced to be separated from their families in different states or areas.

But for most of us who are used to being out of home at least 5 days a week, it can be a challenge. It’s a time of boredom, loss of freedom, and uncertainty, and that can be hard to manage, without loved ones by your side.

As a major telco in Malaysia, Celcom is also set to do their part, and they’ve come up with quite a few services to help their customers in these trying times.

Postpaid

For Celcom Postpaid customers, here’s what you can get:

1. Free unlimited WhatsApp for chats, voice and video calls (From 8 AM to 6 PM) until 31 March,
2. Unlimited access to Microsoft Office 365 for free (From 8 AM to 6 PM) until 31 March,
3. Free unlimited calls and access to the Ministry of Health Hotline Branches, MCO and Crisis Preparedness Response Centre Hotline,
4. 50% off Unlimited Internet Pass (Celcom MEGA Postpaid only),
5. 50% off Family lines (Celcom MEGA Postpaid only).

For the Celcom MEGA Postpaid add-ons, you can head on to the Celcom Online Shop, so there’s no need to step out of the house. This means that if you’re far apart from your family, you can check in on how they’re doing without taking a hit on your data quota.

Prepaid

For Celcom Xpax Prepaid customers, you’re not left out. You’re also getting free unlimited WhatsApp usage, unlimited access to Microsoft Office 365 and free access to MOH, MCO and CPRC hotline.

Celcom is offering users a chance to double up their unlimited internet access hours through the Celcom Ultra Hour Pass. The regular RM2 option which gives 3 hours of uninterrupted, unlimited internet access is now extended to 6 hours.

The Ultra Hour Pass is only available through the Celcom Life App.

Prepaid users who link their Boost e-wallets to the Celcom Life App can also enjoy 10% cashback when you top up a minimum of RM10 or purchase internet passes using the app.

Celcom Walla

If you’re thinking of binging on some shows be it on YouTube, Netflix or AstroGo, Celcom has got you covered with their Video Walla options.

You can subscribe to Video Walla from as low as RM2 for 3GB of data dedicated purely for video.

This means that watching videos from Netflix won’t be taking quota away from your normal data plan. If you want to binge more, they have other options: RM7 for 10GB or RM20 for 15GB.

But, if videos are not your groove, then you could also opt-in for their Music Walla. With Music Walla, all you have to do is pay RM3 and you’ll have unlimited data for music streaming services such as Spotify, Syok, FlyFM and JOOX.

And if you’re a gamer at heart like me, there’s Celcom Games Walla. Do note that only 3 games are currently under the Games Walla list: Garena Free Fire, PUBG Mobile and AOV (Arena Of Valor). Their subscription package also starts at RM2 for 3GB of gaming data.

You can opt-in to the Walla options by going through the Celcom Life App available on both Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

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Even as we deal with the effects of social distancing for the next two weeks, many eyes will also be on organisations and businesses to see their response. However, it’s good to see that many are stepping up to inject a thread of positivity through the gloom.

And, with this, you don’t have to worry about everyone else hogging the internet connection and starting family fights because of lag. You can also catch up with family members or friends that are far and not worry about draining your data.

And for everyone reading, stay home, stay safe, and stay calm.

• Stay updated by following MOH’s website here.
• You can contact the CPRC (Crisis Preparedness Response Centre) hotlines on 03-88810200, 03-88810600 or 03-88810700.
• Movement Control Order (MCO) Hotline is 03-88882010
• Find out more about Celcom’s products and offerings here or download the Celcom Life app from Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Weddings are known to be an expensive affair. In Singapore, they typically cost between $30,000 and $50,000, though extravagant weddings can cost significantly more.

Expensive as they may be, it’s an unavoidable cost for those who want to embark on this important life chapter.

Moreover, before the wedding planning even starts — you have to first propose to your significant other. This means getting down on one knee while you present her with an engagement ring that’s ready to be slipped on her finger (once she says the much-anticipated ‘yes, I do’).

Here’s the thing, both the proposal and wedding share one common big-ticket purchase: a ring.

While there’s no hard and fast rule that the rings must have a diamond centrepiece, they typically do, especially for engagement rings.

So why exactly is a diamond considered a girl’s best friend? It is touted to be the queen of all gemstones — it sparkles like no other, and it’s also the hardest substance known to man, making it resistant to deterioration.

The bad news? They have a hefty price tag.

The good news? A lab-grown diamond is an affordable alternative.

Lab-Grown Diamonds Are REAL Diamonds

Before you strike off the idea of a lab-grown diamond, let me first debunk the most common misconception about it.

Lab-grown diamonds are not “fake”.

Although they are grown in labs and not formed naturally in the Earth’s crust, lab-grown diamonds display the exact same chemical, optical and physical properties as mined diamonds.

This makes them a real diamond, which is why a lab-grown diamond will show positive results when tested with a diamond detector.

On the surface, lab-grown diamonds also don’t lose out to their natural counterparts. In fact, it is impossible to tell them apart with the naked eye.

They are virtually identical to each other, sharing the same sparkle, clarity and aesthetic. Only sophisticated equipment that can be found in reputable diamond grading labs would be able to distinguish a lab-grown diamond from a mined one.

While they share many similar qualities, the only jarring (and good) difference between the two is the pricing. Lab-grown diamonds may be cheaper, but they do not compromise on quality or value in any way.

Spending Less On A Diamond Doesn’t Mean You Love Her Less

When it comes to buying the ring, there’s an unwritten rule that dictates you should spend at least two or three months’ worth of salary on it.

In other words, if you are earning $4,000 a month, you should spend a minimum of $8,000 on an engagement ring. Needless to say, conforming to this rule will only bring about financial stress.

Truth be told, the origin of that rule is a marketing ploy engineered by jewelry giant De Beers to drive the sales of diamonds.

In this modern day and age, it’s important for you to remain financially savvy when making big decisions. Spend within your means instead of splurging on a diamond, because you would need to focus your savings on other practical purchases.

This is exactly why more millennials are leaning towards lab-grown diamonds — they are attracted to its realistic pricing. According to a report commissioned by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, diamond purchases from this segment of the market increase between 15 and 20 per cent annually.

Speaking to Jacky Yap, 32, who bought a lab-grown diamond last year as an engagement ring, he said that its affordability stood out the most to him.

“I first knew about lab-grown diamonds when I did my research on diamond rings. My initial thoughts were that they are more affordable, and they look identical to natural diamonds. I couldn’t tell the difference between the two at all!”

“Moreover, splurging a few months’ worth of salary on a traditional diamond ring doesn’t make much financial sense to me. Since my wife’s love language is quality time, the extra savings from the ring purchase was used for our travels and house renovation, which are more meaningful to both of us.”

His wife, Tan Li Ru, 29, echoed his sentiments and shared that they had both agreed to not spend a fortune on the ring.

“Spending less on a lab-grown diamond doesn’t mean that he loves me any less. What truly matters is the sentiment behind it: love.”

One-Carat Diamond Dreams Do Come True

It’s evident that you don’t need an expensive ring to convey your love. With a smaller budget, you can still afford an impressive ring like a lab-grown diamond, which has proven to be an equally precious and worthy choice for your significant other.

For that very reason, homegrown jeweler Love & Co. has come up with its own lab-grown diamond collection called LVC Precieux (which stands for ‘precious’ in French).

With this collection, Love & Co. wants to celebrate all things precious: your loved one, the time spent on finding the perfect ring, taking your relationship to the next level, and even an unharmed environment.

This new breed of diamonds is actually perfect for the environmental-conscious. Since it bypasses the traditional mining process, they make for an ethical and sustainable alternative to mined diamonds.

Beyond that, LVC Precieux diamonds also cost 50 per cent less than mined diamonds. At just a fraction of the price, couples can essentially get more bling for their buck because all their diamonds are at least one carat in size.

In other words, you can get diamonds twice as big with the same investment.

This is in line with LVC Precieux’s mantra of ‘spend less, do more’. With a lab-grown diamond, you can get a bigger carat and still afford to bring her on a romantic honeymoon. What can be more precious than that?

LVC Precieux diamonds are also certified by the International Gemological Institute (IGI) as an assurance of quality. According to Love & Co., their lab-grown diamonds are as pure as the top 2 per cent of the world’s mined diamonds and achieve triple excellent-cut grade.

With a combination of sustainability, value and quality, LVC Precieux undoubtedly makes for a clear-cut alternative to mined diamonds.

Your Ring, Your Story

Once you’ve decided on your choice of diamond, finding the perfect ring design is the final, challenging task.

Most women want to believe that their guy knows them so well that he’ll be able to effortlessly pick out just the ring she would have chosen herself.

So if you are worried that you won’t be able to get the ‘right’ ring, customising is truly the way to go because you’ll end up with a unique and sentimental piece that she’ll be proud to wear for a lifetime. The main idea is to design and build a ring that reflects your partner’s style and personality, while also expressing some meaning.

Love & Co.’s bespoke service, LVC Diamond Concierge, makes this process simple and seamless in just eight steps.

You can tailor every single aspect of the ring to your personal preference, from the material, ring band, right down to the prongs position. If you’ve no idea what each of these entails, it’s perfectly fine because a dedicated sales consultant will guide you along and offer advice to help you make an informed choice.  

With these basic building blocks, the possibilities are virtually endless — you can play with different options in each step to create your dream ring from over 30,000 permutations.

Unlike customisations that require sketching or 3D rendering, Love & Co.’s bespoke service lets you physically visualise the ring as you go through the steps.

Each of the components are pieced together on the spot so you can envision how your final ring will look like instantly, eliminating any chances of unpredictability. You can explore and play with the designs till you chance upon a creation that truly speaks to you.

This bespoke service is a truly hands-on experience, and makes for a fun and fulfilling time together as a couple as the both of you express your love story through this exclusive customisation that is achievable within 60 minutes.

If you’d like to build your very own bespoke engagement ring, you can schedule an appointment at Love & Co. today.

This article is written in collaboration with Love & Co.

Featured Image Credit: Love & Co.

I studied and worked in Singapore for many years, and I used to get transfers from my parents in Malaysia once every semester for my school fees and living expenses. 

It was a costly affair—they’d have to pay for the bank fees on both the Malaysian side and the Singaporean side, and that’s not taking into account the occasionally unfavourable bank exchange rates. 

I only had to deal with international remittance a few times a year, and it was already a pain. Some people rely on it heavily to support their families and have to do monthly or even weekly transactions.  

Sadly, a lot of their hard-earned money is lost in fees or hidden charges.

Background Info: Back in April 2019, The World Bank Group said that global remittances reached USD$689 billion in 2018 (almost RM3 trillion when converted).

Banks were the most expensive remittance channels, charging an average of 11% and post offices at 7% on average per transaction.

But the actual transaction cost is not limited to that 11%. There are other fees, charges and exchange rates to consider, making international remittance a messy affair.

Now, I own a Singaporean banking account which I use to make investments with. To me, SGD is more stable and it does perform better than MYR. Singapore also has better quality tech stocks.

I only need to do occasional transfers, but it still hurts.

When BigPay announced their international remittance feature a while back, I knew it was something I’d try out.

BigPay has stated that their mission is to make international transfers as fast, transparent and affordable as possible. That means knowing exactly what you’re getting charged and the amount you’re sending over.

I wanted to see if they kept to their word.

Putting It To The Test

I’m already a BigPay user, so these are the steps I took:

1. Log in to my BigPay account,
2. Select Payments and hit International Bank Transfer,
3. Key in the amount that I’m sending and the country I’m sending to,
4. Select my recipient (my SG account), then key in the details,
5. Review the transaction,
6. And done.

The process only took about 1 minute from start to finish.

I was charged RM5 for the transaction, and BigPay also listed the exchange rate that they used, which in this case was 0.3262 SGD or 3.065 MYR. 

Sending money to other countries such as India and Indonesia will only cost RM5, while sending money to Bangladesh will cost RM6. 

Prior to using BigPay, I usually got charged upwards of RM10 in just service fees if I were to use a normal bank, and then potentially get stuck with less favourable exchange rates.

If my transaction wasn’t urgent, I’d go the long way round to ask my friends and family if they wanted to trade. I would send them MYR to their Malaysian account, and they’d send SGD into my Singaporean bank account.

By just charging RM5, BigPay’s rates are better than the other banks I’ve experienced, and much less trouble than the friends & family route.

For example, if I were to send 650SDG via RHB Bank to Singapore, I’d be charged about RM2092.2, which is much more compared to BigPay.

Note: Official exchange rates as of 4.55 PM on March 18. The bank charges might vary depending on time & date, where you’re sending to and the amount. Not to mention, if you’re a foreign worker, there are additional charges as well.

What If You Don’t Have BigPay?

If you don’t have BigPay, the steps to sign up are fairly straightforward.

1. Download BigPay on the Apple Appstore or Google Play (use PCBPVULCAN to get RM10 for free after you activate the card),
2. Perform verification by taking a picture of your IC or Passport,
3. Add at least RM20 into your BigPay account,
4. Receive your BigPay card in the mail,
5. Activate BigPay,
6. Follow the previous steps.

What Do You Get Out Of It?

At the moment, the international remittance feature can only be used in a few countries—Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

With international transfers that can even be done digitally and quickly, I do appreciate that it’s completely online, and everything is shown upfront. There’s no need to queue in a bank or a transfer service, especially with the outbreak that is going on.

As for me, it’s my go-to option. I already actively use BigPay and it’s also useful for any online international shopping, since they show you immediately what you’re charged after conversion.

These days, I use it as my main card to help me keep track of all my transactions, making use of the inbuilt analytics tab that breaks down my spending.

• If you’re not on BigPay yet, sign up using PCBPVULCAN to get RM10 for free when you activate your BigPay card.
• Read up more on what we’ve written about BigPay here.

The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and Ministry of Health (MOH) jointly launched a mobile app called TraceTogether on 20 March, to support contact tracing efforts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

TraceTogether uses Bluetooth signals between phones to identify other users who also have the app installed, allowing it to track encounters and timestamps whenever users come into close proximity with one another.

In the event when an individual is confirmed to have the virus, MOH may ask them to share their TraceTogether data.

Instead of replacing existing contact tracing efforts, this helps to facilitate the process by making up for gaps in people’s memory.

Contact tracing is a complex process that involves interviewing patients and asking them to list down every place they have been to and everyone they have met in the past 14 days.

It’s not unlikely that, sometimes, interviewees may not be able to recall all their contacts or have their contact information readily available.

Individuals who are not known to be infected themselves, but have been identified as close contacts with a COVID-19 case, can also be informed earlier

Since TraceTogether users can be identified as close contacts of COVID-19 cases more quickly, they can be informed sooner to take necessary actions such as monitoring their health for flu-like symptoms.

“Early detection could potentially help reduce the risk of the spread of the virus, and better protect our families and loved ones,” said GovTech and MOH in a press release.

Where privacy is concerned, the app only requires users to provide their Singapore mobile number for verification. It does not collect any other personal information like the user’s name or NRIC.

It also does not track the user’s location, but only keeps a log of their TraceTogether encounters stored locally on their phone.

These logs do not contain the user’s phone number, using a set of “cryptographically generated temporary IDs” instead.

“The authorities, including MOH and GovTech, have no knowledge of the user’s TraceTogether data,” the press release said.

TraceTogether data only leaves a user’s phone at the moment when they agree to send it to MOH upon request.

Speaking at the press event for TraceTogether, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong encouraged Singaporeans to download the app and proactively support contact tracing efforts.

According to the TraceTogether website, there have since been about 600,000 users on the app.

It is downloadable on the App Store for iOS and on Google Play for Android users.

Featured Image Credit: Vulcan Post

Author’s Blurb: As someone who usually brings my powerbank out with me wherever I go (even to work!), I’ve never found a use for those powerbank rental stations you’d see in airports, stations or malls. But recently, I was shocked to find out that I may be part of the minority who always has a powerbank with them.

Dylan Wong and Ng Yong Ching were serious when they set out to establish Rush, a startup for powerbank rental kiosks in 2019.

The long-time friends made sure to do their homework and conducted a survey in Klang Valley on Malaysians’ phone usage and charging habits before launching.

What they learnt was that 56% of the people interviewed do not bring portable mobile charging devices when they are out and about, and would resort to asking around for cables or looking for a power socket to charge their phones.

Meanwhile, 83% of them expressed that they were receptive to powerbank rental services.

Being tech startup veterans with the experience of being in Grab and oBike’s pioneer teams, Dylan and Yong Ching saw an opportunity to address the issue.

A Future Of Poor Battery Life?

In an interview with Vulcan Post, Dylan shared more observations.

He noted that the innovation of phone technologies happened so rapidly nowadays, and the dawn of 5G in Malaysia would only make the issue of poor battery life worse.

According to him, the battery consumption of 5G phones is 2.5x compared to 4G phones.

“However, battery life will be stagnant for the next few years, as battery capacity expansion did not significantly ‘catch-up’ to cater to the actual needs of these new phone features as well as the increased usage by users,” he pointed out.

With Rush powerbanks, Dylan is hoping that they can help the situation. Their powerbanks have a general voltage of 5V, which he claimed can fully charge most phone models in just over an hour.

You can also charge multiple devices at one go as Rush powerbanks come with 3 different connectors: iOS lightning cable, Android Type B, and type C cable.

So, a pretty standard powerbank experience, apart from the fact that you don’t have to bring your own cables out (but that can be said for other powerbank rental players too).

Competition Can Be Healthy

And speaking of other players, Rush faces a rather significant competitor in the Malaysian market.

A Singaporean powerbank rental provider that used to be called Nomo has since rebranded to PowerNow, and has been expanding their services across our nation.

But where I saw this as a potential challenge, Dylan took on a different perspective.

“PowerNow has been in the market for a few years now, which is a very positive indicator that there is a significant market need and demand for powerbank rental services,” he said.

“Furthermore, with more powerbank rental service providers coming in, it will definitely help in increasing user confidence towards the service while benefiting the industry in the long run.”

On Rush’s side, they may have an advantage once they release their reward and advertising platform.

However, with much of it still under wraps at the moment, Dylan declined to share more details, simply saying, “Users can expect to enjoy rewards that are related to their everyday activities and lifestyle by just using Rush powerbanks.”

On top of providing their service, the Rush team also wants to create an ecosystem where they connect their partners and users so that both parties can enjoy the benefits of having Rush as part of their business and everyday life.

“By doing so, Rush users enjoy special discounts/deals at all our partners’ businesses, which then contributes to footfall, sales and additional awareness for all our partners,” Dylan added.

Reaching The Right People

Rush collects no deposits from their users, nor do they require users to top up cash in the app.

They simply need to register for an account in the app using a debit or credit card, then pay per usage (RM 2 for 2 hours).

Since its launch in mid-December, Rush has over 5,000 users so far. Their target demographic is between the ages of 18 to 35, comprised of students, young working adults and those who are constantly on-the-go.

To increase their visibility, the team will be using direct approaches like events, on-ground roadshows as well as through collaborations with their partners.

“For the next 2 years, we will double down on expansion for domestic and international markets,” Dylan said.

“The Southeast Asian market is in the top 6 of the highest internet usage in the world, so expanding to our neighbouring country will be our next strategy.”

Bottom Line: In all honesty, I’m someone who’s super dependent on powerbanks to keep my phone charged. Therefore, having my own powerbank to carry around whenever is a necessity. While I personally don’t see the use for powerbank rental services, I can understand how there are some who might.

• You can read about other Malaysian startups here.

Featured Image Credit: Rush

Author’s Blurb: Working from home sounds much more casual than it is. What I had expected was going to be a casual routine of getting my work done from the comfort of my bed was not at all the case.

Curious to see how the experts have managed this so far, I reached out to Malaysians who have this practice down to a tee.

I managed to get the opinions of 7 established freelancers and home based businesses who are in diverse industries of everything from visual design, technical writing, electronics, and even wedding desserts.

Get Some (Digital) Help

Staying on track with my tasks was where I stumbled a bit when working from home.

This was confusing at first because, basically, I still had access to the same resources, documents, etc. when working in an office space—so why was I struggling?

After I mulled it over, the answer hit me.

I struggle a bit with independence this way, considering how familiar I am with bouncing ideas off my editor and running things by her in real-time—so when the time came for me to set mini-goals of my own, I faltered.  

We did have a schedule going for us even whilst working from home, but I soon realised that I needed something else to fall back on to get the smaller things done.

Almost all of the freelancers we talked to told us that they depended on some sort of productivity management tool to get through the day as well.

Some common answers were:

• Pomodoro tracker – A timer that urges you to work in 25-minute intervals before taking a short break, which experts have said increases productivity.
• Toggl – Time logging tracker that allows you to see how much time you spend on a task.
• Freedcamp & Asana – Project management apps that work best if you struggle to keep track of your progress of multiple tasks at once.

Personally, I use my own Trello board to stay organised. Not the one I’m using at work, but my own.

This way, I can focus much more on micro-tasks that need to be done.

Although tasks don’t necessarily have to be done with strict discipline, it’s important to be consistent.

Just ask Ellia, who—despite only having taken the freelance dive less than a year ago—already understands that progress only happens when you’ve got a good schedule going for you.

“I don’t wake up strictly at a specific time as I used to when I had an office job, but whenever I do wake up (even if it’s 1PM) I start my day then and follow a ‘not strict’ routine, but it’s still consistent,” she said.

Watch Out For The Burnout

Just because you’re at home most of the time doesn’t mean you’ll have good work-life balance.

Kenny Lee is a freelance electronics designer turned copywriter who has been working from home for over 8 years.

He said that there comes a time when separating from work is difficult. “If you’re a workaholic, not having the physical separation that comes with commuting back from the office can lead to over-working.”

Not being able to ‘plug out’ from your work when working from home might even happen when you’re trying to prove a point to your employer that you’re actually getting work done, and not messing around.

“At some point, you may feel like your days are passing by really quickly. When you bring work closer to home, it feels like your days go by even quicker—which is possibly due to the shortening of your ‘work, eat, sleep, and repeat’ cycle,” explained Khai Yong, a digital marketer who’s been working from home for about a year.  

To take the stress out of his day-to-day, Khai Yong insisted that there’s nothing better than keeping physically active. “I’m an active person so I regularly play sports or hit the gym to take my mind off work.”

With the Movement Control Order in place, we can still make the best out of our ‘off’ time at home by following home exercise routines that sometimes don’t even require fancy equipment.

May, a freelance graphic designer and art director, is a little more strict with how she differentiates her working hours from resting hours since she works closely with clients.

“There’s always a limit to everything, including work. Always set a cut off time. If not, the client can totally take advantage of you,” she explained.

This can be applied to white-collar employees working from home as well.

Your employer and you should work out an agreement on how despite tech keeping you practically always connected to work, it isn’t an excuse to ‘check-in’ late at night or after you’ve signed off.

Of course, it then falls on your shoulders to communicate your deliverables and tasks clearly and effectively as well, so there’s no miscommunication on both sides.

Another nugget of advice to avoid this situation is to never get your work done from the comfort of your bed.

Not only does it significantly make you feel lazy and unmotivated to get anything done, but it can get harder to fall asleep at night if your brain begins associating your bed as your workspace.  

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

While I can’t relate to being lonely (there are 5 people constantly bothering me at home at any given time), the same can’t be said for some freelancers.

Mae Tan, owner of BITTER/SWEET, a cake business that caters to newlyweds, felt the pang of loneliness after a while too.

“It wasn’t only lonely, but unhealthy as well. At one point, I think I lost all social skills and preferred to keep to myself,” she admitted.

Often, Mae attributed her loneliness and burnout to poor time management.

“But over time, I started to see the effects and impact this made in my life, and I knew I had to make a change.”

Armed with a stronger sense of discipline, Mae advised us that with proper time management, you should be able to allocate more time with friends and family as well as balance the work with social responsibilities so that workplace isolation doesn’t become too much to bear.

Freelancing has also allowed writer Farah to allocate more time reconnecting with family over lunch or tea.

“I have always kept my social life separate from work. Even having friends outside of the organisation helps,” she continued.

For someone like Liew (who’s had 15 solid years as a tech blogger and 3 more as a web developer), it’s really about perspective.

“I’m not an outgoing person, therefore I don’t feel lonely by working from home. I can communicate with family and friends online,” he continued.

Not everyone might be affected by workplace isolation, but for those who do (and don’t have the luxury of being surrounded with humans all the time) it’s a good idea to check in with colleagues informally as well.

Even if it’s just a short 5-minute call about how things are going at home, or a casual Zoom session once a week—there’s no rule about talking to your colleagues about non-work related things.

Bottom Line: Working from home was exciting to me at first, but it comes with its own challenges. However, I do find that if used wisely, it’s a great way to recuperate from the excessive travelling and to focus those efforts elsewhere.

• You can read more about other work from home related pieces we’ve written about here.

Featured Image Credit: Khai Yong / Kenny

Author’s Blurb: Prior to working at Vulcan Post, I had little to no knowledge about (nor any interest in) startups and entrepreneurship. I had a pretty late start getting introduced to this world, in comparison to many other Malaysians, some of who become entrepreneurs while they’re still in university.

Then there are some who had an even earlier start. One such example is Harsha Ravindran, who began her foray into the entrepreneurial world at the tender age of 11.

She was the kind of student who didn’t have much of a direction at all, much less the passion for entrepreneurship.

But that all changed when she followed her mother to a weekly talk show that was held by a social business incubator called ET Ideas.

There she met all sorts of people, from those who ran million-dollar businesses to young entrepreneurs beginning their own journeys.

What she learnt there would set her on a path to maturity that many of us (read: me) would probably only learn in our early twenties.

Centred around the philosophy that in order to succeed in anything, a person needed to have the right values, mindset and skills first, ET Ideas taught her how one’s subconscious mind works, how to respond and not blindly react in tense, emotional situations, and how to set and achieve goals, amongst other things.

“Slowly, I began applying these lessons in my day to day life at school and started seeing changes in my life,” Harsha told Vulcan Post.

“I became a top-scorer in my class, improved my communication with my friends, family and teachers, became a distinct representative in various competitions and sports tournaments, and even received a scholarship to study at an international school, worth RM 150,000, all by age 12.”

And That Was Only The Start

Other youngsters at ET Ideas who were around her age began experiencing the same thing—they began excelling academically and even started working on turning their passion into sustainable careers despite still being in school.

“Wanting to share what we had learnt with our friends, we invited them to join us as well, but many of them weren’t able to be a part of it as they had transport issues, amongst other issues,” Harsha recalled.

“So, at age 13, I and the other youths at ET Ideas (who were only slightly older) formed Ascendance with the aim to provide the same platform, guidance, knowledge and experiences we gained to every youth out there.”

In essence, Ascendance acts as an extension of ET Ideas that’s catered specifically to youths.

But while I was struggling in school with academics alone, I wondered how Harsha juggled both entrepreneurship and scholarship.

“To the disbelief of many—including myself at first—I began to perform better academically after becoming a young entrepreneur,” she revealed.

Her mentors at ET Ideas would consistently remind her that what she was learning in school could be applied concurrently in her work, and from there on, it became a habit for her to do so.

“At the same time, the skills I was learning from running a startup, such as time management, communication, problem-solving, responsibility, etc. started spilling over into the way I handled school and studying,” Harsha shared.

This became the training ground for her to learn how to become more efficient.

She would go on to become a speaker at several different TEDx talks like TEDxYouth@SKIS, TEDxMonash University Malaysia and TEDxIMU, sharing her experience with other youths.

Today, not only is she involved in Ascendance as its Chief Marketing Officer, but she also founded and runs StartMyName, a startup that designs, builds and maintains websites.

Turning A Newfound Passion Into Business

Harsha’s been making websites since she was 13. It began during her internship with a company that didn’t have much to do with IT.

One day, its CEO was to be interviewed on a prominent news channel and they needed to revamp the company website before then.

The only person who was free to work on it at that moment was Harsha—a student who had no experience in anything related to web development and IT.

But that was how she learnt to make fast, professional websites and fell in love with the idea of helping people express themselves online.

To her, having your own website is a boost to one’s credibility and enables you to share your stories with newer audiences.

However, getting it professionally made can be costly, especially for those who are just starting their careers or want to simply share passions and experiences.

“Many times, it becomes a decision between having a quality website and spending a fortune vs saving money and being unable to update or design your website at a professional standard,” Harsha observed.

This is where StartMyName exists to bridge that gap.

A Young Entrepreneur’s Challenges

“In the beginning, many people were wary that I wouldn’t be able to handle the work or know how to build and design websites properly,” Harsha recalled.

“As a young entrepreneur, it was hard to gain the confidence and trust of clients, and I started off by learning online and from Mr. Edward Boey from Newwave Synchronizer.”

Ultimately though, she required the trust of clients to progress, and thankfully, she managed to cinch a few who entrusted their websites to her and even spread the word about it.

Eventually, StartMyName was backed by Newwave Synchronizer, and this remains one of Harsha’s proudest personal achievements to date.

“To see such an established industry player back a startup that is run by a teenager was truly touching and showed me that people truly cared to invest in the ideas of the young.”

With her journey so far, I had to ask if entrepreneurship was something that Harsha would recommend more children learn.

She replied that in the beginning, it gave her a sense of creative freedom and excitement that she believes many children long for.

“I believe that being an entrepreneur gives students the opportunity to experience how the world works while they are still students, thus giving them an edge in the long run.”

“But more than recommending children to learn entrepreneurship, I would urge them to ask themselves what they want to try out now and think about how they can turn what they love into a career while they are still in school,” she concluded.

What’s important to Harsha is that they do what they love and are able to see everything that happens to them as a lesson and learn the other (often unspoken) skills from experiences, such as managing emotions, communicating, being truthful, etc.

As for what’s next with Harsha, she’s just been admitted as a distance student to the University of Pennsylvania where she’ll be working to see how they can replicate Ascendance and StartMyName’s work at an international level.

Bottom Line: For Harsha, it would seem like her entrepreneurial journey was filled with self-discovery and self-development. I think this reminded me that entrepreneurship is sometimes not all about the technical stuff like revenue, metrics or valuation, but also about personal journeys where one can learn a lot about themselves and improve from there.

• You can read about other Malaysian startups here.

Featured Image Credit: TEDx Talks

Author’s Blurb: As much as I’d like to think otherwise, I’m really not an outdoor person. I’ve never properly camped, but I’m sure I’d hate it. Then I learnt of this concept called glamping. Immediately, I thought it was ridiculous. Luxury camping in nature just seemed to defeat the whole purpose of camping in the first place. Then I learnt of this new glamping spot, which upon my first introduction to it had me exclaiming incredulously, “What?!”

Right in the heart of KL city, ever-ambitious coworking space brand Colony has introduced a new product offering: Castra, a luxury glamping site on the rooftop of their Star Boulevard KLCC branch.

Wanting to know the reason behind why Castra was built, we reached out to She Mun, who’s in charge of Marketing & Partnerships at Colony.

According to her, Colony was simply thinking about what to do with the vacant rooftop garden space they occupied at Star Boulevard KLCC.

“The first proposal for the space was to set up a bar, but the bar industry is so highly competitive already around the area, and we didn’t have any experience managing one, so we thought it wouldn’t work,” she shared.

So, the Colony team looked back at their core and their goals, which were to change and elevate experiences at work.

“Work doesn’t necessarily happen only in the office, it could be outdoors too, and it comes down to team building or team bonding. It was then that we came up with the glamping idea,” She Mun revealed.

Do We Really Want Glamping?

If you’re someone like me who just doesn’t get the concept, you might wonder if this is something that we even want. It’s hard to say for sure as there’s yet to be a survey (that I know of) done on this topic.

However, Colony is looking to the number of glamping destinations that have popped up around the outskirts of cities as an indication that there is significant demand.

“Because of the concept of being close to nature, glamping spots in Malaysia have always been quite far and in out of town areas,” She Mun said.

“So, we thought, why not do it in the city itself, like a quick getaway, where you get convenience and the same experience without going too far out?”

It took about 2 months for Castra to be built from scratch after the team began renovations in October 2019.

The cost of booking the place for a night starts at RM2,500, which isn’t a price that one can easily call affordable, if it’s just a small group renting out the space.

Compare the above price point to Glamz’s Dome Room (25 square feet) pricing of RM300-RM600 for 2 pax.

However, She Mun justified that making a booking would mean reserving the entire glamping site of 4,500 square feet.

Hence why it was designed specifically to cater to groups and events.

If someone hosted an event at Castra, the price would go up depending on the number of people coming and whether it’s a corporate or private, personal event.

“We foresee our clientele to be corporates for team building or product launches, or consumers looking to organise intimate events like bachelorettes, hen’s night outs, baby showers, birthday parties, or any other private celebrations,” She Mun said.

Castra comes hand-in-hand with Colony’s rooftop garden wedding venue too, so they do have some potential clients of couples looking to marry.

Luxurious First Impressions

With Colony’s dedication to next-level hospitality, I can see how it made sense for them to offer a glamping spot instead of another bar.

I wanted to see for myself what luxury glamping felt like, and whether it was an experience that could justify the minimum price of RM2,500/night to me.

So, I was graciously given an opportunity to stay over at Castra for a night with one of my colleagues, one person per tent.

If we’re talking aesthetics, Castra is undeniably beautiful.

For those of you who love documenting everything on Instagram, you’ll have a blast here.

You can see Colony’s touch of luxury throughout the place, while the design concept by Audrey, Colony’s co-founder, clearly carries Bohemian Chic/Mediterranean influences.

According to She Mun, Audrey was inspired by Morocco, so they played with a lot of rich colours and earthy tones of red, brown and orange.

“You’d think of Coachella,” She Mun mused, “So it’s great for events that are looking for a space with similar themes.”

On the rooftop garden, there are two large air conditioned tents, several communal seating areas, multiple umbrella tables, a hammock, a pantry/kitchen/BBQ area with snacks and drinks in the refrigerator, and a bathroom.

Castra by Colony has supplied the necessities you would need for a party and an overnight stay (including raincoats and umbrellas, since it is outdoors), barring actual clothes.

For an example of Colony’s signature next-level hospitality, the team even gave us a heaping plate each of freshly-made pancakes as a welcome when we checked in.

The Uncontrollable Outdoors

But while the team did their best to ensure that our stay was as pleasant as possible, external factors ultimately impacted our sleep.

The tents are decently spacious (they can fit up to 5 people), the beds are comfortable and there is an abundance of pillows.

Nothing to complain about when it came to physical comfort, but the actual issues arose sometime after midnight, when we had settled down to sleep.

As I had suspected, the city never truly goes to sleep. Throughout the night, I could hear the noises of the streets loud and clear through the tent’s canvas material, and my colleague echoed my thoughts the next morning.

Regular cars passing didn’t make too much noise—it was the gangs of mat rempits with their irritatingly loud motorcycles that made it difficult to get to dreamland.

In the end I managed to nod off, but I certainly didn’t get my required amount of sleep.

This is something that’s out of Castra’s control, and while it sounds bad at first, I got to thinking about it.

If you’ve booked the space to party, sleep might be one of the last things on your mind, and company events that don’t extend past midnight won’t face these issues.

Therefore, this issue might not be as bad as it would be to someone like me, who needed my sleep for work the next day.

There’s A First Time For Everything

The team certainly faced trials while building Castra. Audrey relayed through She Mun, “The biggest challenge was learning how to build an event space from scratch outdoors.”

It was their designer’s first time designing the things Castra needed, like building the bathroom from scratch, making sure that everything was waterproof, bringing in standing air conditioning units into the tents and having to build wooden decorative boxes to cover them.

“Everything was exposed to outdoor elements so it was tough,” Audrey added, amusedly recalling some examples. “A parasol flew off because of the wind and there were rats.”

I don’t have the right knowledge to provide proper, reasonable suggestions for Castra to overcome the noise pollution, because all I could think about was installing a huge glass dome over the rooftop garden that could keep sounds out.

But if they did that, it wouldn’t exactly be outdoors anymore.

The lack of city noises is where I think glamping sites on the outskirts might have the advantage over Castra.

Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed my one night there, but it’s definitely not a site I would sleep at for more than 2 nights in a row.

For the moment, the team has no plans to expand Castra as She Mun said that they were waiting to see the responses to it first.

“This is an experimental space and concept for us. We’ll have to see what the take-up rate is like, but so far it’s been very encouraging with many enquiries,” She Mun said.

“For now, we’re going to focus on making Castra the next hip events destination first.”

Bottom Line: Despite the high-end pricing, I could see future me renting it out for a family party. Castra definitely offers the space for it while still keeping it intimate. Would I say that I’m convinced by glamping now? Not really, but perhaps glamping isn’t really about the sleep, but more about the activities you can have with the people around you on the trip.

• You can read more about other Malaysian startups here.

If you’ve been into keeping fit with the latest health trends, the ketogenic or keto diet would have popped up on your radar.

In what seems like an extremely controversial way to eat healthy, keto claims to help you lose weight quickly when you consume more fat.

But, the key is that this high-fat intake must be coupled with very little carbs.

When done consistently, it’s supposed to put your body in a state of ketosis, which makes you switch from burning carbs to burning stored fats for energy, along with other health benefits.

Although the trend has picked up, there still aren’t many places in Singapore offering food options that fit its strict requirements.

Enter Ketomei, Singapore’s first keto-focused meal subscription service.

Just launched last December, the local startup wants to help more people succeed with their diet by bringing keto meals conveniently to their doorstep.

They very kindly sent us a sample of meals to get a taste of the Ketomei experience!

My Crash Course In Keto

According to Ketomei’s website, each of their meals contains “about 60 to 80 per cent fat, 20 to 35 per cent protein, and only 5 to 15 per cent carbs”.

The six meals I received ranged from local flavours to popular cuisines like Western and Korean food.

Out of the selection, it was easy to pick my favourites. Of course, food is subjective, but I felt that Ketomei’s chicken rendang, garlic butter salmon and lemon paprika chicken leg were a treat.

On the other hand, I wasn’t a fan of the baked barramundi (I usually like fish, but it was too fishy even for me).

Since it wouldn’t be fair to talk about results after only eating six keto meals for three days, I decided to note down my observations instead. I learned a lot from this short experience, if I say so myself.

In between realising how tasty keto can be and learning interesting ways you can replace rice, one thing was most apparent: Keto requires a lot of dedication.

It struck me that keto food tends to be rich, as its high-fat content may be carried by ingredients like cream and oil. It tastes great at first, but ‘indulging’ like this every day will take some getting used to.

I also noticed that I got very thirsty, and that my cravings for sweet snacks and drinks spiked like crazy.

Outside of my lunches and dinners from Ketomei, admittedly, I didn’t do well in keeping my breakfast and snack choices within keto rules.

That brings me to another point: Keto requires you to be all in.

It’s not something you can do just ‘most of the time’, because you need to maintain specific levels of fat and carbs to be in ketosis, and you won’t benefit much otherwise.

It’s safe to say this opened my eyes to the amount of determination people put in for better health!

Familiar with these challenges himself, Ketomei founder Constant Tong says he is trying to make it easier for people to get into keto.

By providing consistent meal plans and reducing the frustration of sourcing for keto-friendly food, he believes “people [will] gravitate to an experience they enjoy”.

From Techy To Health Geek

Starting Ketomei was a deviation from Constant’s earlier career, which was nowhere near related to food.

The 52-year-old is a veteran in tech, who started out as a software engineer for Singapore Airlines in 1992.

Over the years, he clocked a wealth of experience leading product management at companies like Internet services firm EdgeMatrix and stock trading app TradeHero. He even co-founded a fintech startup in Shanghai.

At one point, Constant also dabbled (if you count six years as dabbling) in the gaming industry as a development director at Electronic Arts in Los Angeles — “a dream job for an avid gamer”, he tells us.

His last job was at Razer Fintech, where he was assistant vice president for the mobile wallet Razer Pay.

After all these years in tech, he admits that stepping into the unfamiliar food space was something he never thought he would do, although he jokes that he’s “a decent home cook”.

Constant’s passion for keto began when he first tried the diet two years ago as a method to “get rid of stubborn belly fat”.

As he was living in the US at that time, there weren’t many obstacles in his way.

The availability of low-carb options in America made it “relatively easy to stay on the diet”, and he was thrilled to find himself losing weight, gaining more energy and focus, and getting better sleep.

But when I moved back to Singapore for a job, I found it challenging to stay on keto since carbs are the main staple of our local food.

Constant Tong, founder of Ketomei

Being away for a long period made him deeply miss local favourites like chicken rice and beef rendang. And to give them up, even in the name of health, would be completely un-Singaporean.

Realising that many other “keto-ians” in Singapore shared the same struggle, he was inspired to provide a solution to their problems.

The First Steps To Creating Ketomei

One of the first things Constant did was to gather the right people who could fill his gaps in knowledge about food and nutrition.

“I was lucky to be introduced to Chef Andrew Ng, [who has been on keto for half a year himself], through an advisor,” he says.

He also got to know Kelly Tan Peterson, whom he considers to be “the most prominent keto influencer in Singapore and Malaysia”.

With an award-winning keto recipe book published and a strong online following over six years, he made sure to get her on board as Ketomei’s nutritional advisor.

Next, Constant made the decision for Ketomei to operate as an online food delivery service with its production in a cloud kitchen.

While he’s certain that dieters would be happy to have more dine-in joints serving keto, the cloud kitchen and delivery model ensures that he can reach more people with lower rental overheads.

He shares that he invested a “low six-figure amount” that was less than what it would have cost to open a restaurant.

As he started to put the business together, Constant soon realised this new industry was a steep learning curve.

“Setting up a commercial kitchen to cook in batches for a few hundred people [at a time] is not straightforward,” he says.

With his team, he worked on ironing out every detail from sourcing for ingredients to creating their menu, developing a system that ensures food stays fresh after delivery, and setting up website with subscription capability.

To him, one particularly challenging task was “creating keto versions of Asian recipes”.

But this unique problem eventually led them to interesting solutions, such as using cauliflower or konjac jelly (made of a plant root) to recreate grains of ‘rice’.

Serving Over 5,000 Meals In Less Than 2 Months

With their website and kitchen up and running smoothly, Ketomei launched to their first batch of customers through a tasting event on Christmas 2019.

They then delivered their very first meals on 4 January 2020.

Constant shares that response was “overwhelmingly good”, with more than 250 customers signed up for recurring subscriptions, and over 5,000 meals served in less than two months.

In this period of time, they also “crossed six figures in sales”.

For a new business barely three-months-old, Ketomei is moving forward at full steam, and Constant says they’re already starting to face some “growing pains”.

For one thing, they’re already in need of team expansion, and are also looking for investment to help them build a larger central kitchen to keep up with demand.

Constant believes there are “over 100,000 people” who are into keto in Singapore, and that Ketomei is well-poised to serve them.

Food delivery, cloud kitchens and the health food movement are three major trends that are changing F&B rapidly, and we are at the right time to fully leverage these trends to our advantage.

Constant Tong, founder of Ketomei

Beyond providing keto meal plans, he also has his sights on building an app that will help customers monitor their progress towards their personal health goals.

Referencing DNA test kits and smart weighing scales that have been popular recently, he thinks health technologies like these are making it easier to understand what our bodies need.

“My ultimate goal, eventually, is to provide personalised nutrition,” he says.

“When it comes to nutrition, everyone is different and will require a different diet plan to achieve the most optimised results.”

It’s not just people who already know about keto that he wants to reach.

“I knew we were solving a problem that keto enthusiasts would be willing to pay for,” he explains. “But I want to bring keto mainstream, to reach the people who need it most.”

Be it for weight loss or to help people cope with conditions like diabetes and cancer, Constant hopes that — together with proper medical advice from doctors — Ketomei can improve lives.

To find out more about Ketomei, visit their website here and follow their Facebook page here.

Featured Image Credit: Ketomei

Vulcan Post is hiring full-time Singapore writers! Candidates must possess a minimum of 2 years of writing experience, and demonstrate strong interests and curiosity in the tech and startup scene. Please write in to team@vulcanpost.com to send in your resume.

Honestbee announced today (March 24) that it has taken legal action against ex-CEO Joel Sng and ex-director Jeffrey Wong, through letters of demand, for breach of fiduciary duties.

Since their departures, honestbee launched an investigation on various transactions entered into by the company while Sng and Wong was still the respective CEO and Director of honestbee.

honestbee has since discovered numerous irregularities that call for further investigation:

1. Property In Niseko, Japan

It was discovered that Sng had purchased a house in Niseko, Japan under his name in December 2015, and the company — on his instructions — had paid the purchase price of about US$1.1 million (including acquisition tax), on top of other running costs of the property.

During the time of the purchase, there was no apparent benefit or commercial advantage for honestbee to purchase the Niseko house and make payment on behalf of Sng for it.

In February 2018, Sng belatedly attempted to regularise the Niseko purchase by entering into an agreement with honestbee — where Sng indicated that in December 2015 he had been appointed to provide Commissionaire activities by acting on behalf of honestbee in the purchase of the Niseko house — and the company had appointed Sng to purchase and hold the Niseko house.

The Niseko purchase was not disclosed to the then-Board or shareholders of honestbee until September 2018.

2. Tenancy At 34 Boon Leat Terrace #02-01 And Open Space

In May 2013, Sng and Wong started a company called The Cub SG Pte Ltd (The Cub), with Sng owning 70% shares and Wong owning the remaining 30%.

In October 2017, The Cub entered into a tenancy agreement with LHN Space Resources Pte. Ltd. (landlord of habitat by honestbee) for 34 Boon Leat Terrace #02-01 and Open Space — the unit above habitat by honestbee.

Honestbee paid for all security deposits and transaction costs (including stamp duty) for the tenancy agreement, and also paid the monthly rent and expenses totalling approximately S$51,000 per month from October 2017 to October 2018, as well as the architectural design fees for the premises, on behalf of The Cub.

Prior to September 2018, Sng did not disclose the Cub payment arrangement to the then-Board or shareholders of honestbee.

Since October 2017, the tenanted premises were left empty and of no real use to honestbee.

There was no real benefit or commercial advantage for the company to make payment of the tenancy transaction expenses and rent, as well as any other fees or payments for the premises, on behalf of The Cub.

3. E-Wallet Solution (PayNow Pte Ltd)

In January 2017, Sng incorporated a company called PayNow Pte. Ltd (PayNow) to ‘develop’ an e-wallet solution on his own account. He was the sole shareholder and director of PayNow.

Upon Sng’s representations that PayNow had a viable product that was ready for launch, and that PayNow was worth S$4 million as a company, honestbee then entered into a ‘share subscription’ agreement and a ‘partnership’ agreement with PayNow where honestbee subscribed for 20% of the ordinary shares in PayNow, with Sng owning the remaining 80% of the ordinary shares in PayNow.

Honestbee paid S$1 million for the ‘share subscription’.

Between August 2017 and February 2018, honestbee paid further sums totalling approximately S$6.4 million for the purported purchase of Sng’s shares in PayNow. These payments were made at Sng’s instructions.

Prior to September 2018, Sng did not disclose any of the transactions to PayNow to the then-Board or the shareholders of honestbee.

Honestbee has since found that PayNow did not during that time have a minimum viable product that was ready to launch. In fact, the said product that PayNow had produced was only at a rudimentary stage.

Honestbee had essentially paid approximately S$7.4 million in total to subscribe and acquire Sng’s 100% shareholding of PayNow.

Honestbee Awaits Response From Sng, Wong

It is believed that the above transactions have caused loss and damage to the Company, and have no doubt contributed to the financial difficulties of honestbee.

The breaches outlined above are non-exhaustive and based on the company’s ongoing internal investigations to date.

According to honestbee, the letters of demand was issued on March 9 and they are currently awaiting substantive response from either Sng or Wong.

Honestbee intends to, and will, raise and pursue any other questionable transactions that may come to light in the course of its investigations.

Featured Image Credit: Ivan Teh – Running Man

Amidst social distancing, financial uncertainty and economic downturn, many charities, fundraising efforts and NGOs have been hit hard this year.

With the announcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO), it becomes all the more difficult for Malaysians to volunteer their time and effort helping those who could really use it.

But, of course, that doesn’t make it impossible to still extend a helping hand.

We scoured the Internet for charities that are in dire need of help and found around 21 organisations and drives that you could consider contributing to.

To learn more about them, you can click on their names in the headings.

For Daily Necessities (Food, Monetary Help For Bills, etc.)

1. #KitaBantuKita: Bantu Jiran Kita

The goal: This campaign takes into account struggling families whose head of household has suffered pay cuts, loss of a job, had their children laid off, or other implications that have been brought on by the outbreak.

In hopes of reaching out to at least 500 families in need, this effort aims to raise about RM100,000 to cover the expenses of such households for the period of the MCO. 

This campaign also lists around 4 NGOs that they are currently partnering with in order to achieve this goal.

The organisers: Priyaa Simmi is the main driving force of this fundraising effort.

Together with Kitafund (a crowdfunding platform), this Miss Malaysia World 2019/2020 winner has practically dedicated all her social media platforms to see this through.

2. Caremongering Malaysia (Community Response To Covid-19)

The goal: Caremongering is a Facebook group established with an emphasis on helping the elderly in any possible way.

This group is a plea to younger, more able people to extend their efforts to check on elderly neighbours, get supplies, shop for groceries, deliver food, etc. for those who are unable to perform such duties at the moment.

You can fill up the form to volunteer your services here.

Once group moderators have looked through your submission, you will be added to a map that allows those in need to reach out to you with their specific requests, or vice versa.

The organisers: This group is moderated by two admins by the name of Lex Tan and Joe Mathers.

Although there are specific rules to posting, it is always advisable to triple check the legitimacy of those who ask for help (especially for money donations) and consult the group’s admins if needed.

3. Love Your Neighbor Penang

The goal: Besides monetary help, this charity allows you to volunteer your service by picking up or delivering groceries, finishing administrative duties such as calling people and replying messages, and in any other way you’re comfortable helping.

Their services are meant to help the needy in Penang (odd job workers, the elderly, orang kurang upaya (OKU) community, minimum wage workers, etc.) that require assistance during this time.

The organisers: On their FB page, this charity is run by ordinary Penangnites who work to connect the needy with someone who’s specifically able to assist with what they need.

If you prefer to donate money, they will send you proof of transaction once the money goes through.

You can fill out the Google form here and be connected with them right away.

4. NGO Hub Emergency Fund

The goal: To aid struggling NGOs and charity partners who are suffering from the lack of resources during the MCO.

The end goal is to collect around RM100,000 total to aid a list of 16 beneficiaries that serve the homeless, elderly, orphans disabled persons and refugees.

The organisers: NGOhub is dedicated to providing Malaysians with a platform to find and fund verified and transparent non-governmental organisations around the country.

5. Pit Stop Community Cafe

The goal: To ensure there is still a distribution of food items, precautionary supplies (face masks, sanitisers, handwashing liquids, etc.) for staff and monthly funds to support the café during a time where dine-ins are not allowed.

As such, an increased cost is incurred on containers and packages, more bottled water instead of tap, etc.

The organisers: Pit Stop Community Café is located in the heart of KL.

On any given day, they run a café that enforces a ‘pay it forward’ system relying on the kindness of patrons and their own contributions to feeding the homeless and hungry. 

6. Rakyat Tolong Rakyat

The goal: To support about 1,090 students of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) that are unable to make their way home due to the movement restriction in terms of daily essentials, food and drink, personal hygiene items and more.

The organisers: This effort is carried out by UPM’s own Student Affairs chancellor Prof. Dr. Mohd. Roslan Sulaiman, and joined by the team of PUAK Payong and Federasi Kebangaan Pekerja Belia (FKPB).

7. Rumah Kita

The goal: To amass essential food items to feed pregnant, single mothers throughout the period of the MCO.

On their Facebook page, they list out all ingredients that they need, but also accept monetary donations through this bank account to pay the mothers’ medical bills, overall utility bills of the shelter, and other fees.

The organisers: Rumah Kita is a temporary transit home aimed at housing single pregnant mothers, providing them with shelter, nutrition and sufficient medical care from the third trimester until post-confinement.

8. Refuge For The Refugees

The goal: To support the livelihood of refugees in Malaysia who have also been similarly affected by the MCO (those who have lost jobs, lost an income to bring home food, etc.) by raising at least RM30,000 to support 500 refugee families.

According to their Facebook page, a donation of RM60 would be able to support one family/week.

The organisers: Refuge For The Refugees is an NGO of their own, but they’ve paired up with the team of Tenaganita, Dapur Jalanan Kuala Lumpur as well as Liga Rakyat Demokratik in order to raise the stipulated amount.

9. SESO Malaysia

The goal: Now more than ever, volunteer and distribution efforts to the homeless and needy are suffering.

The goal here is to gain support in terms of as many sponsors and partners as possible in order for SESO Malaysia to continue having a supply of food in a time where the homeless are left hungry from the temporary closure of some F&B businesses, movement restrictions and social distancing.

The organisers: SESO Malaysia is a non-profit enterprise meant to combat food poverty amidst those isolated by society through the act of serving communal meals to the homeless and needy.

On their FB page, they also post updates on beneficiaries that have been hit by the outbreak, noting the types of food items and/or support needed.

10. The Lost Food Project

The goal: To drop off essential food items for other charities, foundations and beneficiaries.

During the MCO, The Lost Food Project (TLFP) will experience limitations to collection from their wholesalers, so they rely on the Malaysian public to help with collecting food such as fresh produce, rice, noodles, cooking essentials (oil, flour, etc.), and more.

At the moment, their goal is to collect essential food items (through a drop off at their KL warehouse) and to reach their goal of RM100,000 in monetary donations.

The organisers: The Lost Food Project is a non-profit organisation that focuses on providing the needy with quality surplus food.

11. Free Meals for Frontliners

The goal: Aiming to raise at least RM28k, this is an initiative to deliver fresh and healthy food to medical professionals that are on duty around Hospital Sungai Buloh and Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

Each day, based on donations, 50 lunch and 50 dinner meal sets will be delivered to these two locations to doctors, nurses and medical professionals.

The organisers: Savor of Life is a platform dedicated to accessible nutrition for its users, providing advice and lifestyle tracking to individuals and corporate organisations. They’re currently producing these meals at cost price and make zero profit.

For Medical Supplies & Equipment

12. 3D Printing Malaysia Community for COVID 19

The goal: All donations and resources go to 3D printing face shields to be distributed to hospitals in need.

At the moment of writing, this group only allows donations of raw materials like A4 plastic sheets, PLA filaments, rubber bands, plastic bags, and so on. They will help with the logistics of it.

They’re also encouraging other 3D printing enthusiasts to donate their own time or raw materials.

You can track their progress through this Google Sheets link.

The organisers: The admin of the group is Nurfaiz Foat.

13. Covid19 Appeal: Hospitals In Sabah Need Your Help

Hospital frontliners such as doctors and nurses are highly exposed to infected patients on a daily basis. As such, they are constantly vulnerable and need protective gears.

The goal: To raise RM500,000 in funds to gain access to items such as isolation gowns, N95 masks, shoe and head covers.

Since these protective gears are disposable (up to 300-600 pieces used/day), they’re required in bulk.

With the raised funds, the organisers hope to procure these supplies in order to start distribution to several hospitals around Sabah, starting with Tawau Hospital.

The organisers: Angie Chin, founder of HanafundMe.com, who is working closely with OPSHarapan.

14. COVID-19 Support Fund by 100% Project

The goal: To purchase protective suits, surgical masks, and face masks to be distributed across hospitals.

Alternatively, you can email aishah@edspace.my if you happen to know of an NGO that is spearheading similar efforts, so they can reach out to help.

The organisers: 100% Project is rooted in their ability to crowdfund education-centric projects across the country, with emphasis on raising funds for schools, classrooms and learning centres that are in dire need of financial help.

15. FV Covid19 Support Fund

The goal: To raise RM1 million in funds to mobilise volunteers for health facilities, assist hospitalised and quarantined frontliners, and provide essential general supplies to hospitals.

The organisers: This drive is organised by Fashion Valet’s own Vivy Yusof and her husband Fadza Anuar together with the IMAM Response & Relief Team (IMARET).

16. KKM established fund

The goal: To buy medical equipment tools, medication and other medical material as required by the Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) and its facilities.

The organisers: This official post was published on KKM’s official Telegram and Facebook account.

However, a very similar scam has been circulating with this post—so do be extra cautious in double-checking which one you’re contributing funds to.

17. Malaysia COVID-19 Charity Drive

The goal: Allocate funds to provide frontliners with face masks, COVID-19 test kits and more ventilators to be used by patients in serious conditions.

At the moment of writing, their goal is to raise about S$164,944 (RM501,348).

The organisers: The Ericsen Foundation is a non-profit organisation that has previously collaborated with the Make-A-Wish foundation, and have also funded multiple initiatives that have helped patients with monetary support through easing living expenses and medical fees. 

18. Projek WAQAF Mercy Malaysia

The goal: To amass funds sufficient enough to buy 20 respiratory aid machines and monitors in selected government hospitals to use throughout their Intensive Care Units (ICU).

The organisers: Mercy Malaysia is a non-profit organisation devoted to humanitarian aid during crisis and non-crisis situations.

Other Services & Miscellaneous Products

19. Projek Wawasan Rakyat x Kiddo Care

The goal: To raise funds for babysitting services that have been subsidised up to 75% for doctors, nurses and other medical frontliners while they are on duty.

The organisers: This is a product of the collaboration between Projek Wawasan Rakyat (POWR) and Kiddo Care.

According to their FB page, this initiative is recognised by the Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM). 

Prices can be found on the official Kiddo Care page here, and hours of care start from 6-24 hours (RM26-74).

20. Relate for MOH Frontliners

The goal: Whilst there are charities looking to provide these frontliners with medical gear, some are looking to take care of their mental health.

The organisers are looking to subsidise 50% of their usual rates so that MOH frontliners only pay RM75 (original price is RM150) for a 50-minute session from March 23 to March 31.

Their current goal is RM7,500 in donations to make more of these sessions possible.

The organisers: Relate Mental Health Malaysia is a startup that works towards raising public awareness of mental health in the country, conducting appropriate research and developing interventions such as policy recommendations and improvement of treatment.

21. Tabung Penutup Mulut & Hidung, Pembersih Tangan & Keperluan Lain Untuk Wartawan Lapangan

The goal: This fund is aimed at supplying journalists in the field with facial masks, sanitisers and other necessities for free following the outbreak.

The organisers: Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Projek Wawasan Rakyat (PoWR) are the organisations that are spearheading this effort.

You can check out this Malaysiakini article for further instructions to donate.

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If you’re able to do so, supporting these charities with money or supplies is a much more substantial way of showing appreciation for what our fellow Malaysians out on the frontlines are doing.

Furthermore, you can still donate to these charities from the safety of your home.

• You can read more about other social enterprises and charity pieces we’ve written about here.

Featured Image Credit: Pit Stop Community Cafe / The Lost Food Project / SESO Malaysia

Author’s Blurb: For whatever reason, our ex-PM Najib Razak decided to post up a poll to gauge the popularity of Lazada vs Shopee a few days ago. I was curious of his intentions, but perhaps not surprised with the outcome.

Disclaimer: We don’t know if it was actually Najib who posted this or if it was his social media team, but we used his name in the title and piece because it was still posted under his personal page. This article also isn’t sponsored by Shopee. We just saw the poll results and thought it was interesting to analyse why Shopee won by a landslide.

On March 22 at 9PM, perhaps out of boredom at home thanks to the MCO, Najib made a poll asking Malaysians where they usually do their online shopping and pitched Lazada and Shopee against each other.

Over 117,000 voters made their choice, and Shopee won by a landslide.

Here’s why that came as little to no surprise to me.

1. Smaller value items are cheaper on Shopee.

Lazada seems to put a lot of emphasis on gadgets, kitchen appliances, tech accessories, etc. that would appeal to buyers looking for something of larger value.

Shopee, on the other hand, is my go-to for the little things. Cheap phone covers? Check. Emergency gift for a low-maintenance friend? Check.

It’s not every day that people are making important decisions to buy something like a flat-screen TV or a new smartphone—so maybe that’s why people are inclined to use Shopee more often for smaller value items.

And if they’re using Shopee more often, it’s no wonder that they’ll be voting for it when made to choose between it and Lazada.

2. People might be cross with Lazada’s wallet.

Let’s say you need a refund.

Both Shopee and Lazada’s wallet feature allows for your money to be reimbursed back into the account, but the former has a catch.

Lazada only lets you withdraw money from your wallet if you’re intent on terminating your Lazada Wallet feature forever.

If not, that money is stored and can only be used on your next purchase.

Meanwhile, Shopee lets you request a withdrawal, and the money would be in your account within 3 business days.

3. You earn Shopee coins pretty easily.

Lazada rewards you with coins each time you daily check-in or partake in any of their LazGames.

Shopee makes this process much faster, giving you coins when you leave a review on a product when you complete an order, daily check-ins and other mini-marketing activities.

In fact, buyers are actually entitled to earn 1 coin for every RM1 in a purchase when you place any orders from ‘Shopee Preferred’ and ‘Shopee Mall’ sellers.

You can earn up to 100 coins per order, with your total limit being 150 coins earned a day.

4. Their advertising is so annoying you can’t help but love it.

Ask anyone who knows me how many times I sing “Go Shopee, pee, pee…” on a daily basis.

Who can forget this viral ad?

This was executed with a laser accuracy of sticking with you for a long, long time.

Listen to it long enough, and it slowly bleeds into your daily life, becoming the first thought that pops into your head if you want to shop online.

Come to think of it, I don’t remember the last time I saw a Lazada ad.

They don’t seem to go for viral marketing the way Shopee tries to appeal to the current generation, through memes and pop culture icons and references.

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When Najib asked us “Kalau online, biasa beli kat mana?” he didn’t specify exactly buying what.

That may have already skewed some responses as most are used to buying smaller, everyday items from Shopee.

However, as for what’s he using this intel for, we still don’t know.

Was he planning on doing paid ads with the winner of this poll? Was he looking for a platform to sell his own snack line inspired by Super Ring?

Or maybe it really just was an innocent question asked out of boredom.

Whatever it was, the suspense is real.

Bottom Line: If I had seen this poll earlier on, I would’ve opted for Shopee without a shadow of a doubt too. If they continue ticking all the boxes for me, there’s no way I’d even think of opening up another marketplace’s app.

• You can read more about other Najib Razak related pieces we’ve written about here.

Most business owners face different challenges every day. Be it slow internet, mismanaged data allocation or a complaining customer: “You only take cash ah?”.

To solve problems like these, Celcom is introducing a simple solution with Celcom Business Suite^TM Retail.

The package features a variety of business solutions that’ll benefit SMEs or enterprises in retail circles such as F&B and online business owners.

Ultimately, it aims to smoothen the workflow while assisting in the growth of the business.

We took a look at the website, and the package comes with a lot of technical terms. So, we will attempt to simplify and list out what it offers while totalling up the price.

1. Control Everyone’s Data With Celcom Business AllShare^TM

Celcom Business AllShare^TM Gold comes with 180GB of monthly internet, unlimited calls and SMS to all networks along with 5 Free Line numbers.

This means 5 people in your team (including you) can have a dedicated phone line just for work.

As the PIC (person-in-charge), you can allocate data to specific lines. For example, Ben requires more internet than Ronald who only uses it for calls. You can then allocate more data to Ben within the 180GB quota you have.

You can tack on additional phone lines depending on your team size too.

Current Total: The Celcom Business AllShare^TM Gold package starts at just RM490.

2. Get Plug & Play Internet Access For Your Business With Celcom Business Wireless

The Celcom Business Wireless package comes with a router which allows your business to stay connected via 4G internet. The plus side? You don’t even have to drill holes or mount the router on walls. It’s a simple plug-and-play system.

Disclaimer: It is not a Wi-Fi dongle, so it won’t be usable outside of your registered address.

You will get 150GB worth of monthly internet quota with up to 1000GB of monthly Video or Music Walla.

You can also give Wi-Fi access to your customers. Having extras like free Wi-Fi could keep them in your store for longer.

Current Total: This costs RM135 (usual price: RM150), bringing your current total to RM625.

3. Let Your Customers Pay Via Credit Card With Celcom SafePay mPOS

A free mPOS (mobile point-of-sale) device is also packaged together, giving your customers the ability to pay you with debit or credit cards.

It will need to be paired with a phone’s Bluetooth to work though.

In urban areas where e-payments are more of the norm, it is essential for you to have a mPOS system because customers might be reluctant to use your service otherwise. After all, everyone wants convenience and alternative ways to pay.

Current Total: As mentioned, the Celcom SafePay mPOS is free, so you’re still just on RM625.

4. Reach Out To Your Customers With OMNI Communication

Telling your customers of upcoming promotions sounds like a hassle if you have to reach out to them individually.

With the OMNI Messaging Service that’s bundled together, you can engage customers on different platforms through a single platform. You can reach out to your customers via SMS, Voice, Email, Facebook and even through Push Notifications.

However, rates might differ depending on the service you use. But with this package, you get 100 Free SMS that you can use to notify your customer.

Save yourself the hassle of digging through Facebook or your phone’s contacts.

Current Total: OMNI Communication runs on a Pay Per Use basis, so the current total is still RM625.

5. Build A Virtual Office With Celcom VirtuExt^TM

Celcom VirtuExt^TM simply means a virtual extension. It allows you to redirect calls to mobile numbers using the Celcom VirtuExt^TM SwitchBoard.

In layman’s terms, calls made to the landlines can be redirected to mobile numbers through this feature. This means that your business can be contacted even when you’re not in the building.

The SwitchBoard can also be controlled and managed easily by the Enterprise Admin and Attendants. Conference calls can also be conducted via Celcom VirtuExt^TM, saving you the time and money from fussing with other conference call solutions.

Just like a traditional extension, multiple customers can call your business with just a single number—anywhere and anytime.

Now you’ll never miss that important sale because of a missed call anymore.

Current Total: The Celcom VirtuEXT^TM will cost you RM30 (usually costs RM60) for 3 extensions, bringing your total to RM655.

6. Add-On Options

The package also allows you to opt-in for other add-ons, depending on your needs.

Let’s say that you need to handle word docs or spreadsheets for your business. You can opt-in for the Office 365 – Business Essentials package for just RM13 a month and that’ll give you online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint for up to 300 users.

If you require more extensions on your Celcom VirtuEXT^TM, you can add an extension for an additional RM10 per extension.

You could also add-on LBA (Location-Based Advertising) which allows you to personalise marketing campaigns and send those out via SMS to the right target customer at the right time.

Savings Galore

By subscribing to Celcom Business Suite^TM Retail, you’re saving RM1,080 (RM 15 + RM30 for 24 months). You’ll also be saving on precious time when you subscribe to this package.

Celcom Business AllShare^TM will spare you from worrying about incurring additional costs on personal numbers for you and your team while at work.

Having a Wi-Fi connection from Celcom Business Wireless will keep your business connected and offering your customers free Wi-Fi will potentially keep them on the premises for longer.

Celcom VirtuEXT^TM and OMNI Communications will bring in more potential customers or sales too. With Celcom SafePay mPOS, you’re giving your customers more alternate ways to pay, and that’ll save time on both parties.

With this bundle, you can focus on your business and not sweat on the small communication stuff.

• Find out more about the Celcom Business Suite^TM Retail here.

About 940,000 Singaporean households living in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats will be receiving Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates.

Announced on 25 March, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said this will amount to S$134 million in payouts for the period between April 2020 and March 2021.

Eligible households will each receive a total of 1.5 to 3.5 months of rebates, depending on their flat types.

For families living in 1- and 2-room flats, they will be eligible to receive the highest rebates, offsetting 3.5 months of charges.

Those in 3- and 4-room flats will receive 2.5 months, and those in 5-room flats will get two months of rebates.

Households residing in executive or multi-generation flats are also eligible to receive 1.5 months of S&CC rebates.

Singaporean households who are eligible will be notified by MOF from end-March, and will start receiving quarterly payouts in April, July and October 2020, and January 2021.

The Government first implemented S&CC rebates in 2013 to directly offset some of the service costs that HDB residents must regularly pay to their Town Councils.

During the 2020 Budget speech in February, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced that it would be extended for another year to support Singaporeans during difficult economic times.

Featured Image Credit: Home and Decor Singapore

The Jobs Support Scheme was first introduced in the 2020 Budget in February, to help Singapore employers offset 8 per cent of wages, up to a monthly wage cap of $3,600 for three months.

In light of difficult times due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Minister Heng announced today an additional $15.1 billion package to greatly enhance the scheme.

The Government will increase its co-funding to 25 per cent of wages for all local workers.

Sectors that are harder hit by the outbreak will receive stronger support, with 50 per cent of co-funding for all wages in food services, and 75 per cent for the aviation and tourism industries.

The qualifying wage ceiling will also be raised from $3,600 to $4,600, and the scheme will be extended for another two quarters to last till the end of 2020.

“The best way to support our people is by helping them stay employed,” said Minister Heng.

He also said an additional $500 million of credits in the Wage Credit Scheme, which co-funds wage increases, will be brought forward from end-June to September.

By October 2020, businesses will receive a total of $16.2 billion through the Jobs Support Scheme and Wage Credit Scheme.

Featured Image Credit: Redwire

As part of the Resilience Budget announcement today, Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the launch of a new SGUnited Traineeship programme to provide young Singaporeans with opportunities to gain valuable work experience.

Under this scheme, Workforce Singapore (WSG) will co-share manpower costs with enterprises that offer traineeships for local first-time job seekers.

The government is looking to support up to 8,000 traineeships this year, and this will include science and technology traineeships in our R&D labs, deep-tech startups, accelerators and incubators.

Under the SGUnited Jobs Initiative, the Government aims to create about 10,000 jobs over the next year.

Agencies will accelerate hiring plans to fill a range of jobs in emerging areas, and long-term roles in the public service and sectoral partner institutions in areas such as social services, early childhood education, and ICT.

It will also offer short-term, temporary jobs to handle the increase in Covid-19 related operations, such as health declaration assistants, temporary management support officers, and Transport Ambassadors.

Featured Image Credit: AsiaBiz Today

Delivering his Resilience Budget speech today, Minister Heng Swee Keat noted that many Singaporeans are concerned about how they will pay their bills and household expenses if their livelihoods are affected during this uncertain period.

As such, the Government will be putting more cash in the hands of all families to help them cope.

1. Enhanced Care And Support Package

The Care and Support Package announced in the Unity Budget will be enhanced.

The cash payout for all adult Singaporeans will be tripled from the earlier announced range of $100 to $300, to a range of $300 to $900, depending on income.

2. Additional Help For Families With Young Children

Additional help will be provided for families with young children. The additional cash payout given to each Singaporean parent with at least one young Singaporean child will be tripled, from $100 to $300.

3. Enhanced Workfare Special Payment

For lower-wage workers, the enhanced Workfare Special Payment mentioned earlier by Mr Heng will provide them $3,000 in cash this year for their household needs.

4. Enhanced Grocery Voucher

To further help needy Singaporeans with their daily expenses, and in particular, the cost of food, the Government will triple the Grocery Vouchers given to them this year from $100 to $300.

Together with the $100 which will be given to them next year, needy Singaporeans will receive $400 in Grocery Vouchers over 2020 and 2021.

5. Replace PAssion Card Top-Up With Cash

The earlier-announced one-off PAssion Card top-up for Singaporeans aged 50 years and above will be given in cash instead. This is to avoid the need to queue at top-up stations during this period.

With these enhancements, a young family will now receive around $2,900, instead of $1,300, under the Care and Support Package. A three-generation family will receive about $6,700, instead of $1,800.