UPDATED! Limited Edition Singapore Exclusive Local Design Series Products By Thermos

Hi Huneybees,

In celebration of its 113th Anniversary, Thermos Singapore has just launched its Limited Edition Singapore Exclusive Local Design Series Products - a one-push tumbler with Singapore’s iconic landmarks, and a food jar with drawings of traditional local food - with the collaboration from Pathlight School.

(From left to right) Ms Linda Kho (Principal, Pathlight School) and Grace Ong (Student Artist, Artist Development Programme, Pathlight School) as Jonathan Cai (Student Artist, Artist Development Programme, Pathlight School) presents his own artwork as a token of appreciation to Mr Hirokazu Otomo (Managing Director, Thermos Singapore) and Mr Seiichi Itoh (Chairman, Thermos Singapore).

Working for the first time with the Artist Development Programme from Singapore's first autism-focus school has not only resulted in the creation of two very distinct and beautifully designed products for Thermos Singapore, but also contributed to Thermos' corporate social responsibility to the community.

Through the collaboration, Thermos Singapore is able to uncover the talented artists - like Jonathan Cai and Grace Ong - among young people with special need by bringing their arts to the home and hearts of its customer.

During my short interaction with both young artists at the media session, I realised while both share great passion for arts and are very meticulous in their artwork, their styles are very different.
The style of Jonathan Cai is more structured - lines and curves -  as he prefers architecture and takes his inspiration from books and magazines while Grace Ong's style is more free flow and she takes her inspiration from the things she experienced and observed around her. In fact through Grace mum, I got the privilege to see her art portfolio and came to realisation she has great interest in jewellery design and hope one day her designs could be wore by many people!

The two Singapore Exclusive Local Design Thermos X Pathlight School premium product - JNL-400S & JBQ-400S

The Thermos® JNL-400S

Featuring detailed architectural line art of the Marina Skyline, by the hands of the 13 years old Artist, Jonathan Cai, the ultra-light and sleek tumbler showcases iconic landmarks such as Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands.

The Thermos® JBQ-400S

Singapore Exclusive Local Design Food Jar pays tribute to Singapore’s rich heritage of local delights. Grace Ong, who is 15 years old, transforms the food jar into a chic canvas with an assortment of local traditional foods such as Kueh Tutu, Kueh Lapis and Lepat Kacang in gold

Jonathan Cai  and Grace Ong (Both Student Artist, Artist Development Programme, Pathlight School) showing off the one-of-a-kind big size bottle for the charity auction

Jonathan Cai  and Grace Ong (Both Student Artist, Artist Development Programme, Pathlight School) putting their final touches on a one-of-a-kind big size bottle for the charity auction

To extend Thermos Singapore's support for many more young differently-abled aspiring artists, the global manufacturer and the pioneer in developing innovative vacuum-insulated products will be donating two specially designed big size bottles  - The Thermos® FDH-2005, which has a large capacity 2.0L - for a charity auction. 
Each bottle is specially hand-drawn by none other than the talented Jonathan Cai and Grace Ong!

Calling out to all Huneybees, please do your part too by participating in this online auction, which will start from 27 July 2017, 3:00pm till 31 August 2017, 11:59pm at www.thermos.com.sg/events/charity.

All proceeds for this charity auction will be donated to Pathlight School's parent charity, Autism Resource Centre (Singapore), a non-for-profit organization that supports individuals with autism.
More details of the auction can be found on the website.

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Have You Tried The POSB/DBS VTMs?

Hi Huneybees,

Isn't it amazing how much technology helps and progresses through the years? It helps to make chores so faster and easier, saving so much time for us to go ahead with other plans on our list.

For me, I'm always running back and forth between North and South of Singapore, just coz my parents always need help with the electronic problems at home or even just simple banking matters, for fear they might do a little step wrong and lose all their moolahs. But the queue at the bank is always soooooooooooo long, ending up wasting so much time and energy.

Hahahaha! Thankfully there's the new POSB/DBS VTMs that has live-video streaming assistance that can help lead my parents through the step by step of using the machine and going about their banking needs.

Available round the clock at nine locations across Singapore, the VTMs are a first of their kind in Singapore providing services such as the instant dispensing of Internet banking security tokens and debit cards, as well as handling balance inquiries and change of particulars.

For those who need teller assistance, the customer service officers are available via live webcam daily from 8.30am to 12am. See the video below to see the VTM in action...

DBS/POSB VTMs are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Say hello to the future of banking.

The VTMs have undergone changes after receiving feedbacks from its launch in April and in response, the latest VTMs now have bigger booth space that is soundproof, with trained bank tellers assisting providing virtual assistance via live-video streaming.

DBS/POSB video teller machines (VTM) are the first of its kind in Singapore which provide round-the-clock branch banking service to customers, with the option of “face-to-face” assistance from bank tellers via live-video streaming. Just press the help button and you can chat with a teller live.
The 24-hour video teller machines can be found at:

• POSB Rivervale Plaza
• DBS SUTD
• POSB Bukit Batok West
• POSB Kampong Ubi
• POSB Tampines Hub
• POSB Yishun North
• POSB Toa Payoh North
• POSB Bedok North
• POSB Ang Mo Kio Central

The machines can be accessed by the public at any time of the day. To use the DBS/POSB VTM, you will need a valid ID (identity card or passport) or your ATM/Debit card for verification, as well as your mobile phone for more complex transactions that require SMS one-time password. Customer service officers are available via live webcam daily from 8.30am to 12am.

Hopefully, this piece of news will relief you and your family too, the VTMs has definitely helped me save time, hope it's the same for you too!

 

Don’t forget to stay tuned to my blog / like my blog’s Facebook page / follow me @huney_84 on Twitter & Instagram  for the latest .,aaupdates!

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Wana Meet Mamonde's Spokesperson Park Shin Hye?

Hi Huneybees,

Are you a "victim" of the “Park Shin-Hye lipstick effect” too? If you are snagging those lippies that Mamonde spokesperson Park Shin-Hye is seen using, be ready, as she will be making a special appearance in Singapore on the 21st July, Friday!

Arriving earlier this year in Singapore, Mamonde's range of skincare and makeup products are made available on e-commerce site Lazada and now at Tangs VivoCity! The brand's specialty is that all their products use flower extracts and they smell heavenly when in use. 

Blooms from the hibiscus, camellia, magnolia, honeysuckle, and lotus plants are harvested and hand-picked before they are frozen or heat dried. The active ingredients are then extracted to be used in product development.

I was sent a press kit of their First Energy Firming Mask Set (Honeysuckle) together with their Signature Creamy Tint Color Balm Intense Lipstick and True Color Lip Stick. Everything has a soft floral fragrance to it, I love the products, especially the mask sheets being so hydrating and a great wake-me-up to prep the skin for makeup.

If you are keen to check out Mamonde, come step into Mamonde Garden in the City and discover the secrets of nature's most beautiful floral wonders at VivoCity Singapore, central Court atrium, and experience a world of flowers unlike any other.

Mamonde will be celebrating with plenty of samples to be given away, specially curated sets, attractive gifts, and exciting activities for the beauty aficionado from 17 July to 27 July 2017!

Mamonde's ambassador Park Shin Hye will also make a special appearance on 21 July 2017. Stand a chance to win a pair of VIP passes to catch her upclose and personal with every $50 spent. The top 5 spenders will also get a once in a lifetime group photo opportunity with Park Shin Hye on stage!

Good luck and see you there!

Don’t forget to stay tuned to my blog / like my blog’s Facebook page / follow me @huney_84 on Twitter & Instagram  for the latest updates!

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Julianne Moore & Liv Tyler As The New Faces Of Triumph

Hi Huneybees,

Triumph has recently announced Julianne Moore as the face of its new premium line - Florale by Triumph. Shot by fashion photographer Rankin, the first global campaign from Florale by Triumph draws on the story of the modern woman, celebrating female confidence and timeless style.

Inspired by feminine florals, Florale by Triumph is made up of four lines (Peony Florale, Iris Florale, Wild Rose Florale & Dahlia Florale), each offering a range of fits and styles, from an innovative 4-section underwired bra and a minimiser to a bodysuit and shaping briefs. More about the collection, click here.

New Florale lines hang on a decorative wall at Triumph’s press day.Photo Credits: http://www.lingerieinsight.com

Commenting on the announcement, Julianne Moore said: “Florale by Triumph represents everything I hope for in my style – it is elegant, contemporary, and it makes me feel beautiful.  The collection is stunning and it’s a pleasure to be a part of the Triumph family.”

Rankin adds, “Julianne is a dream! She is funny, she is courageous, she is candid, she’s totally charismatic. A breath of fresh air. What I love about photographing her is she has this inimitable strength. That is a very rare gift. And it makes my job a real pleasure.”

Whilst, Suzanne McKenna, global head of brand at Triumph, added: “After much anticipation, we are proud to introduce Julianne Moore as the face of Florale by Triumph. Julianne is the epitome of a truly sophisticated and stylish modern woman, which makes her the perfect fit for our new collection. We are confident that this special partnership will resonate with women across the world, inspiring them to ‘Find the One’ with Triumph.”

This piece of news follows the announcement that Liv Tyler is fronting a campaign for Triumph Essence's global campaign this Autumn Winter 2017.

Celebrating female sensuality and body confidence, the new campaign is also being photographed by Rankin. Triumph Essence is all about chic, elegant and seductive, offering lingerie that makes a statement and works perfectly with every modern woman’s stylish wardrobe. 

This season the premium line takes on the glamourous theme of ‘Opulent Art Nouveau’ and features delicate and intimate styles which Liv will showcase, crafted in velvet embellished mesh, Leavers lace and luxurious silk satin.

“I am so honoured to be working with Triumph, a brand I have known and admired for so many years. It has such history! The Triumph Essence collection is really special and has both a playful, feminine and chic style, which I love. I can’t wait to see it launch later this year.” --- Liv Tyler 

“Liv Tyler encapsulates everything synonymous with Triumph Essence. Beautiful, elegant and exuding female confidence. She truly is a modern woman in every sense, a mother and actress with a fierce sense of femininity that women across the world can relate to. It is her genuine spirit that translates into our new campaign for Triumph Essence and we are thrilled to be working with her.” --- Suzanne McKenna, Global Head of Brand, Triumph

The Triumph Essence campaign will be seen in print, online and in retail from October 2017 following the launch of the recent global Triumph brand campaign, ‘Find the One for Every You’, whilst Florale by Triumph Autumn/Winter collection will be available online and in store from September 2017.

I can't wait to see the full lingerie pieces in display and help myself to some of them. 

Stay tuned ~

Don’t forget to stay tuned to my blog / like my blog’s Facebook page / follow me @huney_84 on Twitter & Instagram  for the latest updates!

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I Was Just 5mm Away From This Gorgeous Gem...

Hi Huneybees,

Between me and the extremely rare 51-carat certified intense Yellow Diamond was just a mere 5mm distance, when I had have the privilege to photograph this rare jewelry piece at DeGem at this year's Singapore International Jewelry Expo (SIJE) 2017!

Equally rare and impressive was the single 10-carat certified natural unheated Burma pigeon blood Ruby, my favorite gemstone of all time, presented in a diamond ring setting by DeGem, which even eclipsed its Burma Ruby necklace weighting in at 82-carat in total  presented at last year's expo!

With more than US$150 million in exhibits spread over 8000 square metres, SIJE is not just a trade show for the rich and famous but also a gathering place for world's leading jewelers to showcase their stunning jewelry designs and breathtaking gemstones for the public to appreciate the creativity and fine craftsmanship in jewelry making.

Singapore has its fair share of the spotlight with creations from some of our best known local jewelers. The likes of Carotell and Simone Jewels have been participating since the inauguration of SIJE and I must say their creativity and craftsmanship have never failed to amaze me and this year was no exception.

Michael, the designer behind his creations at Carotell Pte Ltd.

The central piece of Carotell's presentation is the " Spider Orchard", which consisted of a gold pendant that shaped like an orchard and a necklace made up of turquoise and pearl.

The "2-in-1" Ring-Pendant inspired by The Starry Night painting by Vincent Van Gogh

Another two creations that I really like at Carotell after speaking to the creator, Michael, were the "2-in-1" Ring-Pendant inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night and the Beauty & The Beast pendant inspired by the recent Disney Movie.

From Simone Jewels was a beautiful unheated Tanzanite setted within a finely carved Quartz and adorned with Tussle-Mussies (early 1400s for small, round bouquets of herbs and flowers with symbolic meanings) that was inspired by the Georgian period with a modern touch.
The owner of this one and only masterpiece could have a picture of his/her choice laser inscribed to make this a truly majestic gift!

Among the 200+ exhibitors from 26 countries at this year SIJE, I was drawn to Italian Jeweler, Gabriella Rivalta Oro Minato or Finely drawn/painting on gold jewels. Every piece was hand painted with enamel and had to undergo more than 800 Degree Celsius of heat treatment to create such a beautiful jewel.

Do not miss out at the region's largest consumer jewelry show.

SIJE opens from 6th to 9th July 2017 at Marina Bay Sands Singapore Expo & Convention Centre, Hall A & B, from 11:30am to 8:30pm (last day is till 7pm).

Have a lovely weekend!

Don’t forget to stay tuned to my blog / like my blog’s Facebook page / follow me @huney_84 on Twitter & Instagram  for the latest updates!

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TOP 5 Reasons Why You Should NOT MISS The Exhibition Of Downton Abbey

Hi Huneybees,

Downton Abbey was a highly popular British TV series that was shown from 2010 to 2015 and was based on a chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early 20th Century.

This original drama of romance, which costed an average of £1 million per episode to produce, was set from 1912 to 1926 and even has had Queen Elizabeth II as one of its fans!

Julian Fellowes and his casts from Downton Abbey at the recent Press Conference at Marina Bay Sands. Photo credit: MBS

With much excitement on 22nd June 2017, the creator and executive producer of the show Julian Fellowes with many of his original casts including  Jim Carter (as Charles Carson), Kevin Doyle (as Joseph Molesley), Laura Carmichael (as Lady Edith Crawley), and Phyllis Logan (as Mrs. Hughes), walked down the red carpet at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centres to officiate the opening of Downton Abbey: The Exhibition happening at B2 of Hall F.

Most of the scenes in Downton Abbey were filmed at Highclere Castle

Here are 5 (five) reasons why you should STILL pay a visit to this exhibition even if none of my fellow Huneybees has watched a single episode of this highest rated PBS "Masterpiece" drama series, which is unfortunately not available on free-to-air nor pay TVs  in this region.

#1 Lifestyle of British  aristocratic during early 20th Century

Discover the way of life of the noble and its humble servants' in the era where the concept of Television System has just be realized but not yet commercialize and Computer has yet been invented. One reason why Downton Abbey was so popular was the fact that the TV series followed closely to historian research, including the actual events that happened during the period where the drama was set, for example in Season 2: World War I, Titanic sinking, Spanish Flu.

Downton Abbey has came alive at the exhibition in Marina Bay Sands with mock-ups of some of the most memorable scenes of the TV series such as Butler's pantry, Kitchen, the famous Servant's Bell Board, elegant Dining Room, and even the bedroom!

Stairway to the basement of Downton Abbey where servants work for 14 hours starting at 5am daily

#2 Amazing Downton Abbey Costumes

From restrictive corsets to drop waists, heightened hemlines, and straight silhouettes, the glamour of the early 20th century fashion was certainly one of the highlights of the TV series and some of these were on display for public to behold.

The central of attention was definitely the  beautiful white wedding grown wore by Lady Edith at her wedding during the Downton Abbey finale! Looking at it would simply invoke the emotional moment in me just like yesterday when Lady Edith finally married in Downton Abbey.

#3 Technology Evolution Of The Era

In the early 20th century and before, way before Internet gave birth to Email, people communicate with each other via means of hand-written letter sent via postage that could take months to be delivered!

Early 20th century was a period of great technology leap with the likes of the first assembly-line production style made automobile by Ford Motor and the first gas motored and manned airplane by Wright brothers.

A tuning radio in the early 20th Century

The essential for the women of Downton Abbey - Hair Curling Tong and Hair Dryer!

Do you still recall the candid moments of Mr. Carson, butler of Downton Abbey trying to figure out how the candlestick phone operates?

Some of these historical artefacts that made appearance in the TV series were on display in the exhibition, which included the iconic hand-held metallic hair dryer (Season 6) that first went on sales in 1915 and the candlestick phone (Season 2-5) that represented the pivoted period (1912-14) for telephone development in Britain as it was widely installed at private homes of many aristocracy and gentry.

#4 EEE - Enhanced Exhibition Experience

Attending an exhibition can be uneventful if there's no people to guide you through and worst if it's a show that you have not even watched before.

Hologram of Mrs Hughes, Housekeeper of Downton Abbey, welcoming you to the working area of the servants

The organizer certainly understands that (not every one has seen the masterpiece) and that's perhaps is one reason (my wild guess) why they have set up many of digital (non interactive) displays by means of holograms and audio visual technology to take the audience through the journey of frictional wold of Downton Abbey, starting from an introduction snippets of the TV series and ending with some of the main characters bidding goodbye to the audience.

While this is certainly a great crash course for any Huneybees who haven't watch the drama, it also creates a whole enhanced experience for fans to relive the moment!

#5 Experience English Tea Ritual

There's nothing other than Afternoon Tea for that is British most significant contribution to world cuisine! What started as "snack" between early lunch and late supper (aka dinner) by Anna Russell, 7th Duchess of Bedford, in the 1830-40s, has became a common practice around world as people realize it was a great excuse to socalize. 

It certainly felt great to be able to seat down and enjoy some English tea and cakes after spending over three hours soaking in the British ilife of early 20th century.

For an additional SGD50 (exclude from admission ticket price), Huneybees will be treated to a traditional afternoon tea like the one we saw in Downtown Abbey, where the tray holds the 3 S’s: Scones, Sandwiches/Savouries and Sweets. That certainly summed up a sweet afternoon for me!

Do come and experience the life of Downton Abbey today at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centres, B2, Hall F before it leave Singapore for USA. The exhibition ends on 31st July 2017.

While it is not necessary, it is certainly helpful if you could catch some episodes of the TV series online prior attending the exhibition.

Downtown Abbey has just got a new fan in me ;)

Don’t forget to stay tuned to my blog / like my blog’s Facebook page / follow me @huney_84 on Twitter & Instagram  for the latest updates!

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