Author: Rachel Neoh

If your luck has been down, take a trip down to visit the fortune cats in the Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo. Based in Setagaya City, the temple is a good place to visit if you want a reprieve from the fast-pace of central Tokyo. Here’s a quick history lesson – sometime in the 17th century, a feudal lord was seeking shelter from a thunderstorm and came across the temple. According to the legend, the cat owned by the priest of the temple waved the lord in. Therefore, all fortune cats now have their paw raised in invitation. The lord repaid…

Chocolate lovers can now hug a bar of chocolate– Dunkin’ Donuts Korea is running a promotion where you can get your fill of Kit Kat without the calories and sugar. The promotion is the first part of Dunkin Donuts’ year-end campaign, called Winter Play. Dunkin Donuts released cushions in three different “flavours” – choco, pink and donut. The promotion is only open to people who spend KR₩10,000 (S$11.60) at Dunkin Donuts. The cushions cost KR₩4,900 (S$5.70). All three cushions are made out of memory foam and measure 52cm by 14cm. On the underside of the cushion, there are Velcro straps…

It’s not every day you find the perfect shoe– there’s always that one little detail that’s not quite right. Due to popular demand, Superga is giving you the chance to create a shoe that is wholly yours with their customisation bars. Starting 29th November 2019 until 1st January 2020, make a trip to any of the three Superga stores in Singapore – Wheelock Place, VivoCity and Westgate to design your one-of-a-kind shoe. The base will be Superga’s iconic 2750 model in white. There are 15 different coloured eyelets now available, including the crowd favourite – rose gold. New exclusive colours…

Farmer markets are usually fantasies that come true if you visit a foreign country. This Christmas, revel in your dreams of fresh produce and sustainable products at the Dempsey Village Christmas Market. Siri House at Dempsey will be holding the one-day market on 1st December that starts from 10 am and ends at 9 pm. Spend your day browsing through 25 stalls manned by a collection of local artisanal producers and farmers. Spoil mom or your best friend with new jewellery from The Tiny Torch. Jenny Lin runs the jewellery label by herself, making rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets from…

The largest book sale in Singapore returns to Suntec Convention Centre. POPULAR is hosting their 13th BookFest from 6th to 15th December 2019. Doors open at 10 am and the event will conclude at 10 pm across the ten days. BookFest 2019 will take up Halls 401 to 406, a total floor space of 13 000 sq ft, making it the biggest book sale they have ever hosted. The IT and Gadgets Fair is back as well within BookFest after an overwhelmingly positive response, and the Titbit Carnival is growing into the it-place to stock up on your favourite snacks.…

Party within Singapore’s biggest garden at Hydeout. Debuting in April 2020, the multi-genre music festival hopes to be the Asian equivalent of California’s Coachella Arts and Music Festival. The festival is the first of its kind in Asia and will feature a mix of international and local musical talents. The Meadows in Garden By The Bay will play host to a multi-stage arena for the mixed-genre music festival. Headlining acts include big names like British pop star Rita Ora and American rappers A$AP Rocky and Gucci Mane. Among the first wave of artists announced to grace our shores also include…

Potterheads can proudly declare their love for the Wizarding World with this Pandora x Harry Potter new collection. Launching on 28th November, the Danish jewellery brand has come up with 12 designs in the form of pendants, charms and an exclusive bracelet. Meet miniature wearable versions of the Gryffindor trio and everyone’s favourite free elf, Dobby. Harry sports his house colours in the form of a scarf, and Ron wears the Christmas sweater his mother lovingly made for him, it would have been cute if Dobby was holding his sock. All aboard the Hogwarts Express! Feel the nostalgic pang with Pandora’s…

Step back in time with Felix the Cat as he celebrates his 100th birthday with Skechers. The release will make up part of the BOBS from Skechers range, a collection that donates to animal charities. Felix The Cat shoes will be available exclusively for women. The range consists of six pairs of shoes, each in the colours black, white and red – hues associated with the iconic cartoon character and reminiscent of the cartoon strips where the character first found fame. The series of shoes include slip-ons, sports trainers and platform shoes. The slip-ons and platforms have Felix motifs printed…

Plane tickets to France are expensive but plane tickets to Taiwan, not so much. If you’ve dreamed of running through the lavender fields in Provence, the yearly Mesona flower festival in Taoyuan City, Taiwan comes just as close. The Taoyuan Mesona Flower Festival (TMFF) 桃園花彩節 in Yangmei district in Taoyuan City covers five hectares with lavenders in full bloom, starting on 23 November and concludes on 8 December 2019. The flower festival started in hopes to unite the community in revamping their agriculture to include leisure and fine agriculture. Local community leaders also hope that short-term events such as TMFF will…

From the company that brought us the adorable bubble tea cup lamp and dumpling air purifier, comes a couple more additions to the family. Smoko has released an egg tart lamp, aptly named Dan which is derived from dan tat 蛋撻, the Cantonese term for egg tart. Dan has been released together with Yuko, another ambient light inspired by the nostalgic yoghurt drink from our childhood. The ambient lights cost US$16 (S$21.80) each. Based in Los Angeles, the brand started out selling unicorn USB hand warmers after being inspired by a colleague would often get cold. The unicorn hand warmers remain their bestsellers but they have…

“They’re colourful, they’re iconic and they are 100% vegan.” – Stella McCartney Fashion designer Stella McCartney cements her place as a leader of sustainable commercial fashion through another partnership with adidas. The second edition of 100% vegan Stan Smiths will hit global adidas stores on 2nd December 2019 as announced on her instagram on 21 November. The iconic kicks come with a change of laces – white to stick to the traditional cool vibe, or rainbow-coloured laces for a quirky and fun change-up. Just like the previous similarly vegan release, the shoes are giving the three-stripes logo a pass and instead…

THE FACE SHOP collection has released its Energy SEED Skincare Range. Available island-wide at all THE FACE SHOP stores in Singapore, the Korean brand’s new line consists of toners, serums, creams, and moisturisers. Breakouts are unwelcome guests and can be frustrating to deal with. Lately, Singapore’s hot and humid weather and low air quality have made skin even more vulnerable. These two lines of products that have been labelled for all skin types, can help minimize the effects of environmental stressors and give added protection against UV rays. The products in these two lines also contain vitamins B3 and B5…

Hello Kitty fans rejoice – Sanrio and Herschel are ending the year with another collection.  The Holiday Collection of hip bags and small backpacks are already available at Herschel and Sanrio stores. This range of new products will be the second release between Herschel and the lovable pop icon this year. Their first collaboration in mid-2019 helped to commemorate the Sanrio character’s 45th birthday. The previous anniversary launch included duffel bags, hip packs and bag packs of verifying sizes. Travel in style with Herschel bags plastered with your favourite cartoon cat. This second release adds more designs to the existing…

The Culture Cartel Asian Street Festival returns for its second edition after a successful run in 2018 in Singapore. From the 6th to 8th December 2019, this inclusive celebration of street culture will once again be held across the three levels of the F1 Pit Building. Culture Cartel, a homegrown event brand seeks to bring more attention to the local street culture—the event will be hosted in conjunction with the main sponsor, Mercedes Benz. This convention will include panelled talks, interviews and workshops with creatives and artists alike. Partner brands such as HUGO Boss and G-Shock will also be putting…

PUMA is celebrating Hello Kitty’s 45th year in its latest collection – PUMA x Hello Kitty merchandise. This marks the second collaborative release between the streetwear label and the sweet Sanrio character. The first partnership was released in early 2018. Last year’s release was limited to just one item – a pair of red-and-white suede sneakers. This time, fans can pick from an entire series of shoes, apparel and accessories that combines Hello Kitty’s pink-filled cheeriness with PUMA’s high energy.  The women’s line has a total of three different styles – Utility Women’s trainers in pink and white Cali trainers,…