Worried about what to do with those tousled mane of yours? Worry not, because Sabune Cabane has one of Singapore’s most formidable hairdressers. To date, I have yet to find a replacement for this funky and quirky salon. 

One may find it eccentric at first – the way a salon is not actually fancy enough. You see, from the outside, it looks like a plain warehouse with cemented floor. But once you enter salon, it is certainly an eye opener! Regardless of how nondescript is the setting of the salon, it is still the rendezvous of the Caucasians and ‘Tai-Tais’. One glimpse across the room, you could spot Hermès Birkins, Loubotins and ‘bling-blings’.

An assistant would then escort you to the “washing room” hidden behind a wall. Once you are properly laid down, you would be probably amazed to find that the ceiling is a labyrinth of wires and huge aluminium exhaust fumes. Some may find it riveting; but to others, it would just be an eye sore. For these people, they would much rather prefer to keep their eyes closed while enjoying a classic manicure or pedicure. After relishing a good scrub, you would return to your seat and a staff would offer to fix you mocha or fruit infused tea. In fraction of minutes, your personal hairstylist would make his or her way to you and greet you. You would notice that all the stylists are wearing stylish, trendy and hip ensemble, from the hair, the shoes and accessories. Of course, if you were a student like me, having a conversation with the hair stylist would not be stilted as compared to if you were a ‘tai-tai’.

Most of the stylists came from distinguished backgrounds, having worked in Kim Robinson and other legendary hair stylists. With their state-of-the-art equipment and high-end hair products you can request for any hairstyle to suit any occasion. The whole experience is indisputably relaxing and enjoyable. They pay extra attention to the whole process to make sure that your tresses are pampered and well nourished.

The result of a visit to Sabune Cabane would elevate you from an emu to a majestic peacock and it is not overrated. A haircut would range from $66 - $148 depending on the stylist.

Sabun Cabane                                                            Phone: 6235 2910

Tanglin Mall

163 Tanglin Road, #03-22

Singapore

The Better Toy Store

Play is a Child’s Work and The Better Toy Store is a child’s workshop of award-winning toys that fulfills the excellence in play value, design, quality and impact on environment. Believing that children deserve the best, The Better Toy Store only puts the best toy selections on its shelves. Ever since its inception, I like to while my time away at this toy store on Sundays just to admire the never-ending shelves of TY soft toys. Hence, when I was offered a job in the toy store, I couldn’t be happier and started work immediately.

The Better Toy Store is not just any ordinary toy store. When you visit the store in Ngee Ann City, you would probably be captivated by the animated window display. A special machine from Germany is used to tie arrange in ways that can make the Folkmanis soft toys move. Perhaps at this point you may not be convinced that it is in fact the “Better” Toy Store, let me fill you in with more inside scoop…

The store has a soccer table, toy roller in different cute animal designs and the famous Thomas train play table that the children can play with. If you do fancy the board games, card games and handicrafts, you can find the trial set deep inside the display shelves. You can take your time to figure out whether the game suites your child. What’s more, The Better Toy Store carries games and toys suitable for people aged 0-99 years old, there’s no reason why you should miss out the fun when your child is also enjoying. Take a pick of your favourite board game that trains your wits (and probably kill those grey cells of yours), find a corner and try to figure it out, the owner would gladly let you.

The recent addition of German plush toy brand Steiff is popular amongst yuppies and collectors who appreciate the fine workmanship of the toys. Other than the toy store, the company has their own furniture and gift store in Ngee Ann City. Beds in the shape of pirate ships, play tents fit for little princesses and swing seats for the adventurous one can all be found in their furniture store. The gift store carries gifts from different parts of the world, including Art In The City art pieces and handcrafted puppets. The cashier point is the most prominent attraction where Folkmanis toys and puppets are displayed. The staffs would sometimes take the puppets by putting themselves into the character to interact with the children.

iwannagohome!

iwannagohome!™ is a home fashion store with a difference, bursting with ideas and concepts that brightens up your living space. Here, you’ll find furniture, art, kitchenware, glassware, dining sets and other fashionable items. 

A homemaker’s heaven, iwannagohome!™  is an ensemble of fine fashionable living at reasonable prices. With some of the most modern names in décor, glassware, art and design, iwannagohome!™ showcases collections that speak loud on style and yet maintain a high level of pragmatism.
iwannagohome!™  also provides special services such as its own interior design services to help customers plan their homes in exactly the way they want. Physical distance does not pose as a barrier for customers living in other parts of the world. The overseas courier service would deliver your order to your doorstep.

Believing that your home should reflect your true self, iwannagohome!™  does not restrict you to express your own individual style. The store carries different assortments, colours and patterns to facilitate the matching of different products in different room settings.

Offering products that are both affordable and stylish, iwannagohome!™  is the living proof that one’s life could be rich and luxurious and yet affordable.
Through the art, design and functionality, iwannagohome!™  wants you to be warp in things that make you happy and say
I wanna live an original life,Iwanna be me,Iwannagohome!

For more information on store branches please visit: http://www.iwannagohome.com.sg/contact_us.html

Love Shopping Event

For the RMT Students, the weekend of 4^th and 5^th August were the glorious and memorial days that would forever be etched in their minds.  They have gone through weeks of planning and collaborating with the different social enterprises consisting of The Asian Women’s Association, Association for Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, Action for Dogs Singapore and Mother and Child Association.

The event,  “Love Shopping” was held in Changi City Point was a celebration of what is a part of a community, listening to the stories of these people who have struggled and strived to stand back on their feet and to help others. They have been an inspiration for the young, old and those who are experiencing the same circumstances.  

The toastmaster's club, together with the representatives of the four social enterprises, our teachers, parents and juniors came down to support us. A fun packed day of program was lined up for the shoppers in Changi City Point.

At the same time, there were a few others ongoing such as the “Five Stones” game pioneered by the AWWA team and the colouring activity by the ASD team. If you were lucky enough, you would probably get the chance to meet our lovable and huggable mascots – the teddy bear and Snoopy dog.

The afternoon started with a painting demonstration by the Mouth and Foot Painting artist. The fine strokes and craftsmanship performed by the artist was a stunner; many people crowd around to witness their demonstration. On each day, two artists would come down, fully equipped with their professional art equipments to showcase their talent and some of their completed art pieces. At the cashier, mounted on the spider exhibit were three art pieces painted by MFPA’s famous artists that include Mr Tan Kok Leong’s work of art.

During a specific time period, two representatives from the Asian Women’s Association who would demonstrate their sewing skills to the crowd. The patchwork designs that they have crafted with delicate hands came out beautifully. It seemed that nothing is too difficult for them to make.

Following this, an art competition was held on the stage, inviting kids to participate and flaunt their flair in the arts. As a token of appreciation, the winners were given prizes co-sponsored by Faber Castell Singapore that includes the company’s very own art sets and oil pastels.

At 6pm, the night was still young and the show has just begun when the Mother and Child team sashayed down the aisle. The apparels, designed and handmade by Mother and Child’s fashion designer, Anna was intended to be auctioned off during the event. The proceeds will go to the organization that supports single women as well as other less fortunate individuals. Not only that, the show kept going when AWWA’s star painter – Ryan and the two mascots hit the stage to boogie to the beat of Wonder Girl’s “Nobody”.

The entire event was not a matter of just completing another module throughout our polytechnic years. It was a lesson, an experience, a connection with the ones who were experiencing unfortunate circumstances, neglected and abandoned. 

When life turned for the worse, stay on and learn from the ones who scraped through. Stop and cherish the little things in life and love everyone for who they are because each one of us is special. That day, our RMT students have taken back more than what was sacrificed – love.

Love Shopping?

Love Shopping? Bring out the Shopaholic in you!

Save these dates: 4^th to 5^th August 2012

Venue: Changi City Point, Inner Court, Basement 1

Time: 10am to 10pm

Love shopping is celebration of what it is to be part of a community, to show our support and love towards the people who have changed the lives of many despite their struggles in life.

Love Shopping does not define the literal meaning of the phrase but rather the separate meaning of each word combined together. Love is interpreted as an intense feeling of deep affection for someone. As our event involves social enterprises, in this context, love is the feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, to the recipients of the social entities that we will be working with.

This event is held for the sole purpose of giving people the opportunity to shop with love to show their concern and support for the cause. As it is, there is a subtle difference in the objective of the event compared to other charity events. The event showcases the products that the social entities create, not to market it for the sake of charity but to really market the skills of the artists and the beneficiaries.

Come down with your loved ones, spread the word and shop to love. 

RMT Grooming Workshop

Felix Zemdegs from Australia is able to solve a Rubik’s Cube puzzle in 7 seconds. In that short period of time, he has also created the impression on the audience that he is, as far as we can tell, a genius with remarkably dexterous fingers. For the rest of us, those 7 seconds can also be used to create positive impressions on the people we meet, even if not of the intellectual kind. Juniors from the Diploma in Retail Management learnt how to do just that with two grooming workshops held in May.

The L’Oreal Makeup Workshop was conducted on 14 May exclusively for the female students. Although we did lament about the need to remain in school for the workshop while our male friends could leave early, some of us were probably secretly pleased to experiment with the palettes of shimmery powder and plastic tubes of creams and gels that greeted us when we entered the room. The trainer from L’Oreal shared many helpful tips on makeup applications and choosing the right colours for our skin tones. For instance, I never knew that foundation had to be applied with your ring finger and with a downward motion. Several student models were selected for the demonstrations, even those who were not known to put on makeup, which drew cheer from the rest of us. Each group was given a set of cosmetics for practice after each demonstration, where we jumped at the opportunity to ‘harass’ our friends by practising on their faces instead of our own!

And yet looking good with makeup is only the aesthetic part of leaving a good impression. On the morning of 25 May, all Juniors attended the ZA Personal Grooming workshop, which touched on etiquette and general personal grooming. We were taught the Do’s and Don’ts of creating a good impression. It soon became apparent that some of the boys were the very victims of the dressing faux pas that the trainer shared with us— trousers without a proper break, ill-fitting shirts and too-short shorts. For the girls, chipped nail polish, messy hair and VPLs topped the list of improper dressing (I will admit that I am guilty of one of these!). There was another round of demonstration, this time to show the importance of skincare. We watched intently as the ZA trainer showed us the steps of basic skincare on our friend, from cleansing to using BB Cream as the final step.

The two workshops proved to be fun and a rewarding channel from which we picked up relevant skills (the fact that they replaced our normal lectures was only a bonus). As future retailers, the importance of looking presentable cannot be undermined seeing as ‘employees embody the product and are walking billboards from a marketing standpoint.’ As an individual, looking presentable can only be considered as doing oneself a favour.

Now please excuse me while I touch up on my nails.

Credits to Simin

Collaboration with GET Singapore

GET SINGAPORE is a non-profit collective that showcases Singapore’s retail brands and merchandise by creating a platform for local retailers to feature and market their merchandise to a wider audience both in Singapore and around the world. It provides public access to well-designed, branded merchandise, including where to find them, product details and promotions. It also promotes a vibrant image of Singapore as a place where good design and innovative retail ideas exist.

GET SINGAPORE will be featured at 1^st Avenue when it re-opens on 14 May after a month of renovations. Our RMT Seniors will also be working on a branding campaign project with GET SINGAPORE.

Some of the brands showcased in 1^st Avenue include the chic, fashionable yet functional apparel and accessories from bYSI®, uniquely fun accessories and speakers from Action City, spunky, cutting edge street-wear fashion apparel and accessories from X-TOMIC® by 77^th Street, trendy and fashionable footwear from Ripples and the exclusive range of handmade products from US-trained fashion designer Anna Tsang, founder of Mother and Child Project. The revamped 1^st Avenue with a refreshingly edgier new look is now leaner and meaner with something for everyone, so do come down and visit us!

RMT Retail and Social Entrepreneurship

The Diploma in Retail Management (RMT) will partner 4 social enterprises to organise a community event on the weekend of 4 and 5 August 2012 at Changi City Point. This event helps to promote social entrepreneurship as well as allow our RMT Seniors to apply retailing strategies to help the non-profit organisations. The funds raised through the sales of merchandise produced by these enterprises at the event will help support and further their causes.

One of them is the Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA), which was formed in 1970 as a general welfare service. It has progressed over the years to include services for the elderly and disabled in Singapore. Today, AWWA reaches out to offers the elderly, children and young people with special needs to empower them to maximise their potential for independence.

Another partner is the Mouth Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) which is an enterprise that sells paintings, greeting cards, calendars painted by artists who, for reasons due to accidents, birth defects or illness, are deprived of the use of their hands and hence, use either their mouth or foot to create their work.

The Mother and Child Project, a social enterprise run by the Singapore Anglican Community Services is another enterprise involved in this event. It provides home-based sewing contract work for disadvantaged mothers so that they can be economically self-sufficient. The organisation sells a wide range of products ranging from tissue pouches to patchwork quilts and hand-painted clothing.   

The fourth organisation is Action For Singapore Dogs. Established in 2000, its mission is to improve the welfare of stray and abandoned dogs in Singapore. The company frequently organises events to raise funds for veterinary care of rescued dogs and to promote adoption of our local dogs.

RMT looks forward to working with these 4 social enterprises and to raise the awareness to support the causes of these organisations.

A Different Freshmen Orientation

Student leaders from the Diploma in Retail Management (RMT) organised a unique and exciting Freshmen Orientation for the RMT Freshmen on 25 April 2012. Instead of having the usual Orientation on campus, RMT’s programme took place at Changi City Point. The group, comprising of about 100 students and staff gathered at the Audi Foyer for a quick lunch and then set off for Changi City Point for an afternoon of interesting team-bonding activities.

The group gathered at the mall’s outdoor amphitheatre and then embarked on an exciting ‘Retailer Hunt’ game within the mall. Patterned after the popular Korean game show ‘Running Man’, the Freshmen were divided into groups to search for retailers and merchandise within the mall as well as nearby Singapore Expo to complete their given set of tasks. The game provided opportunities for the students to collaborate with their friends from other classes to receive bonus points. Keenly participative, the RMT students enthusiastically and eagerly scoured the mall for hints, clues and answers, all trying to be the first to complete the hunt. After nearly 2 hours, all the groups completed the ‘Retailer Hunt’.

The Orientation continued with visits to several selected retailers such as Home-Fix, Guardian, Nike Factory Store and Hush Puppies. At each store, students were given a brief introduction of the company and its business. The Freshmen found this interesting as it provided them a glimpse into the titillating world of retailing.

The day concluded with a debrief by the Diploma’s Course Manager, Mr Sam Tan as well as a prize presentation and photo session with the teaching team. The Freshmen found this Orientation a refreshingly unique one and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon bonding with their peers and lecturers.  

The sun was blazing!

Home Fix visit

Hush Puppies Visit

Arab Street

So, the sleepless nights, over dosage of caffeine and mountains of notes had taken its toll on your body. But life's too short for you to brood about the blunders you have made in exams. In that instant, when you have handed up the last exam paper to the invigilator you feel like flying. The air smelled of freedom.

Perhaps the remedy for ‘post exams dissonance’ would be different for each one of us. However, for me, retail therapy proves to be a good way to alleviate my pain.

I took a long walk along Haji Lane and found many new shops that add to the old boring scene of people puffing Shisha. A salon, a cupcake shop and game shop have just joined the rest.

Some of the shops that you may want to visit:

A Thousand Tales (Bar Stories + Café Fables)

2nd Storey

Replete with retro, designer furniture, queer and eccentric display pieces, Thousand Tales is a lifestyle concept store borne from the imagination of a trio of girls who are passionate about living interestingly. It has since evolved into a showcase of local talent.

As you walk up the stairs, you would find more furniture and a café and bar hidden in an adjoining room. In the day, it is a café that serves non-alcoholic drinks and finger food. From 6pm onwards, it is a bar called Bar Stories that serves alcoholic drinks and pasta. You may opt for the Mojitos instead of the cocktails as some of them have similar tastes. Please, spare yourself from the agony of having to pay a lot for their main course – they come in petite sizes.

Pluck

I give you my word – the best ever brownie you can find in Singapore, accompanied by homemade ice cream. Soft and chewy texture inside out topped with warm chocolate sauce. 

Walk a little bit further and you would see people sitting on a lush red velvet sofa by the window enjoying a cup of ice cream. Pluck is a quaint café cum retail shop. The products they carry are a little out of the ordinary – functional objects made special with clever design, beautiful aesthetics and fine detailing.

Home accessories that transform the space of your home, statement jewellery pieces crafted by our local designers, understated luxe handbags are some of the things that you will find in Pluck.

To ensure that you have a memorable shopping experience, Pluck houses an ice cream parlour that serves homemade ice cream and delectable desserts. Some of you may be familiar with the ice cream they serve when they set up a counter in 1^st Avenue last year. 

Doinky Doodles

If you happen to stride along Bali Lane, you would be fascinated by the name “Doinky Doodles” on the signage. When you peer inside the wooden framed door you would see this:

I admit, I am still young at heart even though I am XX years old. So there I was, climbing up the stairs, not knowing how I got there in the first place. When I reached the top of the stairs, I saw these:

          

Vintage teacup sets

Hand made bags, wallets, purses and pencil boxes (The little room in the corner is used to conduct crotchet, sewing and embroidery lessons)

Doinky Doodles provides sewing, crochet and embroidery lessons if you have a knack of doing handicrafts. Otherwise, learning a thing or two may come in handy.

Visit their website at: http://www.doinkydoodles.com