During my recent holiday to Kaohsiung with Joanna (yes my third time travelling to Taiwan in half a year!), we stayed at Hotel R14 Kaohsiung. We were lucky to chance upon this hotel, aptly named after the train station it's located at, because it was so convenient! For one, we never had to remember what station was our hotel located at — R14 is the number of Kaohsiung Arena Station, on the red line, and Hotel R14 Kaohsiung was right across the road of Kaohsiung Areana Station.

We were initially worried about locating Hotel R14 Kaohsiung since neither of us have travelled to Kaohsiung before, but our worries were completely unfounded. When you exited from Kaohsiung Areana Station Exit 2, you'll spot a playground and Hotel R14 Kaohsiung is opposite the playground, across a road.

Because we landed at 10am, we had plenty of time to spare before the hotel's check-in time of 3pm but the hotel staff's impeccable hospitality warmed our hearts from the very beginning of our trip. From taking care of our luggage before check in to guiding us to the toilets (so we vain girls can apply our make up), the staff of Hotel R14 Kaohsiung went out of their way making sure we had everything we need for a pleasant stay.


After a day of exploring Kaohsiung, we finally returned to Hotel R14 Kaohsiung to check in to our Tree Sea Family room that comes with two queen size beds. I love that their pillows are anti-bacterial and anti-mite because hygiene is a huge deciding factor when I travel!


When we entered our room, I was blown awed by... Hotel R14 Kaohsiung's toilet. Pardon me for sounding like an old lady, I was blown away by Hotel R14 Kaohsiung's high tech toilet bowl with smart washlet (the kind that is usually found in Japan).

From anti-smell technology to warm seat cover perfect for winter — there was absolutely nothing more I need. My favourite function has still got to be the bidet function, adjustable right down to water temperature and water pressure Like what I told Joanna, I'd find it hard to adapt to peasant toilets again in Singapore.

Guest post wrriten by Neha Singh.

Dubai is the veritable capital of FUN. From an exciting hot air balloon over the desert at dawn to playing with the dolphins and even diving off coral reefs, Dubai aims to infuse your life with fun and more fun. No matter your age, there’s so much fun activites in Dubai that it becomes difficult to choose what to do first. Leave it to the travel experts to guide you to the most fun activities for you to enjoy in Dubai. Read on to enjoy the best of Dubai with these fun activities!

1) Hot Air Balloon Ride


Enjoy the most spectacular sight of your life – be it a desert sunrise or a desert sunset – as you float thousands of feet in the air in a colorful hot air balloon in Dubai. Experience the bliss of looking down on millions of mounds of red sands across miles of the Arabian Desert. Be sure to equip yourself with a telephoto lens to capture views you’re not likely to see anywhere else. Your tour operators will pick you up and drop you off when your ride is over. For one hour, you’ll be on top of the world – an unbeatable experience.

2) Helicopter Ride Over Dubai


Fly nose-to-nose with the tip of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Get a bird’s eye view of Dubai’s scintillating skyscrapers, bordered by an azure sea twinkling in the harsh sunlight. The Dubai Creek cuts the city into two, like a painting that’s been slashed with an artist’s brush with blue paint. From that height, everything about Dubai looks as though it were a picture painted by a master artist. Ask your tour operator to hover close over the Palm Islands, the World Map Islands or any other landmark of Dubai you fancy. Enough fun for you yet?

3) Overnight Desert Safari


One of the most fun things to do in Dubai is having an overnight desert safari in the mystical Arabian Desert. Dubai’s tour operators have crafted the desert safari into a work of art. They pick you up from your hotel and take you by the most scenic routes to the desert, stopping at excellent photo spots. Then you’re welcomed into a genuine Bedouin tent, where you can wear traditional robes and relax with a hookah, watching the sunset.

Or you can take part in various adrenaline-rousing activities – dune bashing, dune driving, sandboarding, camel riding and more. Enjoy a lovely Arabian dinner while being entertained by henna artists and belly dancers. Spend the night inside, or watch the stars in Dubai’s unblemished desert sky outside your tent. It’s fun all the way in Dubai!

2015年，ERIC周兴哲出道还不满一年；我滑手机时无意中发现了《以后别做朋友》MV，觉得ERIC周兴哲的歌声优雅、宽慰。点进ERIC周兴哲的YouTube后，很可惜的发现那时ERIC周兴哲只有一首歌，那一首《以后别做朋友》就让他一炮而红。被ERIC周兴哲的歌声感动的我不断地普《以后别做朋友》，当时的男友也问我，“这到底是谁啊，歌声那么迷人？”

2017年，当时那位陪我一起听《以后别做朋友》早已变前任，分手时当然是听着“情歌王子”周兴哲的歌度过。现在的ERIC周兴哲已发了两张专辑，也长大成人啦。这两年内，很开心能见证ERIC周兴哲的成长，陪他一起学着爱，了解爱教会我们的事。

相信ERIC周兴哲爆红不是巧合，而是他勇敢追究梦想的结果。希望默天我能跟人生中第一位偶像，ERIC周兴哲，一样勇敢追究自己的梦想。也希望ERIC周兴哲动人的新创作，永不失联的爱，能陪你度过孤独的晚上。


永不失联的爱 (yǒng bù shī lián de ài)
词：饶雪漫
曲：ERIC 周兴哲

亲爱的你躲在哪里发呆
qīn ài de nǐ duǒ zài nǎ lǐ fā dāi
有什么心事还无法释怀
yǒu shé me xīn shì hái wú fǎ shì huái
我们总把人生想得太坏
wǒ men zǒng bǎ rén shēng xiǎng dé tài huài
像旁人不允许我们的怪
xiàng páng rén bù yǔn xǔ wǒ men de guài

每一片与众不同的云彩
měi yī piàn yǔ zhòng bù tóng de yún cai
都需要找到天空去存在唔
dōu xū yào zhǎo dào tiān kōng qù cún zài wú
我们都习惯了原地徘徊
wǒ men dōu xí guàn le yuán dì pái huái
却无法习惯被依赖
què wú fǎ xí guàn bèi yī lài

你给我这一辈子都不想失联的爱
nǐ gěi wǒ zhè yī bèi zi dōu bù xiǎng shī lián de ài
相信爱的征途就是星辰大海
xiāng xìn ài de zhēng tú jiù shì xīng chén dà hǎi
美好剧情不会更改
měi hǎo jù qíng bù huì gēng gǎi
是命运最好的安排哦
shì mìng yùn zuì hǎo de ān pái ó

你是我这一辈子都不想失联的爱
nǐ shì wǒ zhè yī bèi zi dōu bù xiǎng shī lián de ài
何苦残忍逼我把手轻轻放开
hé kǔ cán rěn bī wǒ bǎ shǒu qīng qīng fàng kāi
请快回来想听你说
qǐng kuài huí lái xiǎng tīng nǐ shuō
说你还在
shuō nǐ hái zài

走过陪你看流星的天台
zǒu guò péi nǐ kàn liú xīng de tiān tái
熬过失去你漫长的等待
áo guò shī qù nǐ màn cháng de děng dài
好担心没人懂你的无奈
hǎo dān xīn méi rén dǒng nǐ de wú nài
离开我谁还把你当小孩
lí kāi wǒ shéi hái bǎ nǐ dāng xiǎo hái

我猜你一定也会想念我
wǒ cāi nǐ yī dìng yě huì xiǎng niàn wǒ
也怕我失落在茫茫人海唔
yě pà wǒ shīluò zài máng máng rén hǎi wú
没关系只要你肯回头望
méi guān xì zhǐ yào nǐ kěn huí tóu wàng
会发现我一直都在
huì fā xiàn wǒ yī zhí dōu zài

你给我这一辈子都不想失联的爱
nǐ gěi wǒ zhè yī bèi zi dōu bù xiǎng shī lián de ài
你的每条讯息都是心跳节拍
nǐ de měi tiáo xùn xí dōu shì xīn tiào jié pāi
每秒都想拥你入怀
měi miǎo dōu xiǎng yōng nǐ rù huái
全世界你最可爱哦
quán shì jiè nǐ zuì kě ài ó

你是我这一辈子都不想失联的爱
nǐ shì wǒ zhè yī bèi zi dōu bù xiǎng shī lián de ài
就算你的呼吸远在千山之外
jiù suàn nǐ de hū xī yuǎn zài qiān shān zhī wài
请你相信我给的爱
qǐng nǐ xiāng xìn wǒ gěi de ài
值得你爱
zhí dé nǐ ài

-

永不失聯的愛
詞： 饒雪漫
曲：ERIC 周興哲

親愛的你躲在哪裡發呆
有什麼心事還無法釋懷
我們總把人生想得太壞
像旁人不允許我們的怪

每一片與眾不同的雲彩
都需要找到天空去存在 唔
我們都習慣了原地徘徊
卻無法習慣被依賴

你給我 這一輩子都不想失聯的愛
相信愛的征途就是星辰大海
美好劇情 不會更改
是命運最好的安排 哦

你是我 這一輩子都不想失聯的愛
何苦殘忍逼我把手輕輕放開
請快回來 想聽你說
說你還在

走過陪你看流星的天台
熬過失去你漫長的等待
好擔心沒人懂你的無奈
離開我誰還把你當小孩

我猜你一定也會想念我
也怕我失落在茫茫人海 唔
沒關係只要你肯回頭望
會發現我一直都在

你給我 這一輩子都不想失聯的愛
你的每條訊息都是心跳節拍
每秒都想 擁你入懷
全世界你最可愛 哦

你是我 這一輩子都不想失聯的愛
就算你的呼吸遠在千山之外
請你相信 我給的愛
值得你愛

While Nicole was working her magic on my hair, Ying did treatment on my hands, leaving my hands soft and silky. I couldn't stop smelling and touching my hands afterwards!


Since I was heading to a summer destination, Ying gave my nails some colours that would go well with my hair. The rainbow gradiant manicure with nude base also meant that the colour difference wouldn't be obvious when my nails grow out. Verdict? I absolutely adore the job done by 99 Percent Hair Nail Studio! I love how the colours compliment each other and I've also received many compliments on my nails and my friends have been asking where I got my nails done.

A close up of my manicure

The convenience of having Ying work on my nails and Nicole on my hair saved me a lot of time and the trouble of going to different shops! In about 2-3 hours, I left 99 Percent Hair and Nail Studio with my nails and hair done when it would have costed double the time if I had them on seperately.


Thank god I had my hair done before travelling to Kaohsiung — Taiwan's unforgiving buring hot sun could have given me dry and fizzy hair but because  99 Percent Hair Studio took care of my hair so well with the treatment Nicole did that my hair turned out smooth and silky my entire trip.





Thank you for the gorgeous hair and nails, Nicole and Ying from 99 Percent Hair / Nail Studio!

99 Percent Hair Studio
(Facebook / Instagram)

Haji Lane
Address: 40 Haji Lane, #01-01, 189233
Telephone: 6396 3667
Opens daily from 11am to 8:30pm

Katong
Address: 42 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428762
Telephone: 6702 7062
Opens daily from 11am to 8:30pm

Orchard Central
Address: 181 Orchard Road #04-10/11, Orchard Central Singapore, 238896
Telephone: 6238 3667
Opens daily from 11am to 9pm

Email
99percenthairstudio@gmail.com

If you're a disorganised person like me, the entire scene of a fumbling through a messy backpack at the airport's check-in counter is all too familiar. I can never find where I stowed my necessities, I lose my pen and worst, I forget my passport #truestory. Imagine my shock when I discovered Gaston Luga's range of travel backpacks and brought my Gaston Luga Pråper Black along when I travelled to Kaohsiung. Wait, it's possible to stay organised while carrying a load of travel essentials?!
Gaston Luga, a Swedish backpack retailer from Stockholm, has just launched in Singapore — at the perfect time too! When I travelled solo to Japan, I realised how essential a functional travel backpack is. However, I always put the idea of getting a travel backpack off because in my mind, travel backpacks meant ugly conventional backpacking bags found in typical sports shop. Practical, but not necessary fashionable and definitely doesn't look good in the innumerable ootd shots I inevitably take when I travel.


Gaston Luga proved me wrong with their collection of stylish travel backpacks. Gaston Luga had such a diverse range that I had a horribly difficult time picking the perfect travel backpack. In the process, I disrupted my friends studying for their finals and stayed awake till 3am deciding which backpack to get (not even kidding LOL).

They always say when you're not looking for someone, that person will come. Boy, did he. He came and swept me off my feet. I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I was fine and happy on my own. But when I met him, I knew he was going to change the world as I knew it. It wasn't the first time I fell in love, it wasn't the deepest I've ever fallen, but it was everything intense and insane — everything love should have been.

I remember the bittersweet struggle, the bewildering array of feelings obviously creeping up onto me, the effortless denial. Then one day, a sudden, mind-blowing realisation. I remember the EXACT moment I knew.

I had no problem dealing with loneliness when I travelled solo. The gaps in between — the times I wished I had someone by my side — were filled with adventures I had, the things I would have never done if I weren't alone. I was roaming the streets of Japan when a bewildering thought crawled into my mind. I began yearning to go home, and the moment I wished he was there to witness Japan's magnificent sights with me, I knew.


When I thought of him — approximately 5233km away from Singapore — while snapping a photo of Mt Fuji's glory, I knew. When I found myself wanting to share my joy and sorrows with him, I knew. That feeling was... Amazing. Knowing that I could love again because I met someone who made me believe in love again was perplexing but phenomenal.

I'm extroverted; I click with people easily and I met guys I instantaneously get along well with. I went out with guys who were on the same frequency as me. I called someone else my soulmate — and once sincerely thought that — but when it boils down to it, none of them compares. They pale in comparison. Those guys were nowhere as eerily similar as we were to each other.

I read a lot of stories about people finding their soulmates and so many times it's about finding another them, who just happened to be the opposite gender. It feels like I found that. It's surprising, and very comforting, to know that someone so similar to me exists. It's mind blowing how the pure existence of this brilliantly constructed human being allowed me believe in love again.

When you went through years of torment, you get scared because you don't know what someone else wants from you. You keep running back to who you placed your blinded faith in because that's all you knew. Meeting him allowed me to bid goodbye to my past attachments. Everyone knows that travelling has always been my form of escape, but he made goodbyes hard. I never understood why I wanted to be home, until I realised I have fallen for this man, this man I barely knew.

I call him someone I barely know because it takes years for me to fall in love. I'm a slow lover, but he brought me on a roller coaster ride straightaway. I can't lie about loving every second of it, but I enjoyed the ride. Allowing yourself to fall for someone is like filling in an indemnity form — you're prepared to get hurt but you've already weighed the pros and cons, and understood that it's worth the risk.

Someone told me he knew I would do well wherever I go because I'm a determined person. In a way it applies to my love life as well — I've always gotten what I wanted. A rejection is harsh and rough, but it's about time. I can't go through adulthood sheltered, protected, and always getting what I ask for. I could blame him for not sending clear signals, or I could spend my entire year wondering if I said something wrong.

But that's not what love is.

I don't know if there's a non-cliche way to put this across, but it's goodbye — for now. In a perfect world, where everything is made of happily-ever-afters and fears don't exist, we would have been together in a second. Slapped with the reality of this world filled with maybes and what-ifs, I'm forced to admit that he's everything I wanted, but at too young a age.

Without revealing too much, we're simply at different stages in life and we want different things at this point. There's a lot on his mind and he's not ready right now. I guess in a year, I won't be either when I eventually pack up and leave to work overseas. I wish I could keep him somewhere and return five years later, when stability, maturity, ambiguity and distance are no longer issues. When I have travelled more, seen enough of the world; when I am done fighting for my career, and he has ironed things out.

But the reality is that time never freezes. We just have to keep going. I always believed that when you meet the right person, there's no right timing. When you're so afraid of losing your chance with that somebody, you will do everything in your power to fight for it. When you love someone and want to give that person happiness to the best of your abilities, you will throw everything aside because love is worth it. 

If he asks, I will put aside my dreams and stay, for him. I'm willing to throw aside something important to me because I don't want to spend a bulk of my life wondering about him. But he relishes his current situation, so there's that. I accept and understand that we have different priorities, and I'm happy he knows what he wants. Maybe I met that right guy, but I wasn't the right girl for him. That's fine, people are people and feelings are weird.

I hang on to the thread of hope that we just might meet again at a better time in the future when we're both ready to settle down. Or this might be goodbye forever. Either way, I'm so glad I met him. I'll NEVER regret any second of this. Once you meet someone like that — someone who's everything you ever asked for — you just can't settle for less anymore because he set the standards so high up.

I like him. Man, I do. This is the first night I admitted something like that, and to so many people. But this is going to be the last. Please never mention this again because it's unworthy of your time. I'm sorry I even said anything. I don't want to talk about it — ever again.

如果还能看出我有爱你的那面，

请剪掉那些情节让我看上去体面

When I kissed someone, I wondered how he tasted. When someone held my hands, I remembered his. I haven't gotten him out of my mind. I spent the last few months trying to put a title to this post. Today, I found the word for it. I call this the semicolon. It's not a comma, because I've done what I should do to bid farewell. It's not a full stop, because I want to believe that this is not the end. Not yet, at least. A semicolon.

Brunch at Punch

Mr Punch Public House is a unique restaurant known for the retro gastropub, rooftop bar, and MINT Museum of Toys atop it. Situated comfortably near City Hall and Bugis MRT, Mr Punch Public House is a hit with tourists looking to enjoy the best of Singapore's nightlife, and Singaporeans looking for something fun to do during the weekends. Their new brunch menu, aptly named Brunch at Punch, features a range of popular breakfast food.

Replicas of vintage toys for sale

Inline with the vintage theme, Mr Punch Public House's name came from British puppet show set in 1660s, Punch and Judy. Visitors and patrons can stop by the first floor to purchase replicas of vintage toys found at MINT Museum of Toys.

Mr Punch Public House's name cards

Media food tasting at Mr Punch Public House

I was invited to try the newest addition to Mr Punch Public House's menu — Brunch at Punch, available every weekend from 11am to 6pm.