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“Because when you look around, this life is pretty amazing.” To say that these past couple of weeks have been overwhelming would be an understatement. I was completely taken aback by the support and the sheer number of votes I received for my entry in the Singapore Blog Awards competition. To win the contest, you’ll need to pen a fixed number of blog posts and acquire the most number of votes. Here’s the thing, voting usually spans over four weeks and supporters are encouraged to cast their votes everyday. I’ve been a finalist in this contest twice but I never actively reached out to my loved ones for votes before. I didn’t wanna hound them everyday for votes in case they think I’m a huge nag.  I’ll usually just post a couple of pictures on Facebook to canvass for votes. Needless to say, I always end up in the bottom few in the contest. This year, my good friend Tiffany decided to nominate me for the contest again and by an incredible stroke of luck, I was selected as one of the top ten finalists in the beauty category! Third time! Well, but the truth is third time will not be a charm if I continue to rest on my laurels. So this time, I decided to approach my close friends and family for help. What I didn’t expect was the astounding response I was going to receive. Within hours of contacting them, my vote count went up by two-fold and I even had a fan page set up by a good friend that I haven’t seen in ages! Haha! Yup, I was wrong. No one thought I was a huge nag, instead they even blamed me for not informing them earlier about the competition so they could help me sooner. I can’t be more thankful to be blessed with family and friends as supportive and loving as them. Even though, the odds are not in my favour yet, I already feel like a winner for these amazing friendships and relationships. Here’s a small tribute to the loves of my life. 🙂 My Girls They’ve always been there, unconditionally helping me with everything – from my wedding, blog events, surprises for Bobby and to the blog awards, reminding each other and pestering all their friends and family members to vote for me everyday. I cannot ask for better friends than them. “A friend is like a teddy bear; you hug it and cry to it when you’re sad you talk to it when you feel alone! it doesn’t matter what color, size or condition it’s in, it’s there for you no matter what.” I’m so lucky to have met you ladies and you can be sure that you’ll always have me as your cuddly snuggly teddy bear! I wuv you! Dong Hao I met Dong Hao in secondary school a million years ago, a fellow blogger ( fatclay.com ), here he is looking suave with his beautiful wife. As is so often the case, life has gotten in the way of catching up for so many years. In fact I don’t think we’ve actually met again since then, but of course we’ve been able to remain connected with all our school buddies via Facebook. Needless to say, my breath was taken away when Dong Hao actually created a Facebook group with the sole purpose of gathering the troops and bringing all my old friends together for this common goal. Woo hoo! The solidarity shown by all my friends has literally brought me to tears! And whatever the outcome of this contest, I know that with friends like these in my corner, I’ll always be a winner! 😛 My Extended Family from Bangladesh One of the most surreal experiences of my life was going to Bangladesh with my entire family for wedding Part 2. If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d one day be having a wedding in Bangladesh, I’d probably have laughed in disbelief. But fast forward to present day and I’m smiling for a different reason. I’m smiling because I’ve been welcomed into such a loving family. They brought my dreams of having a princess wedding to another level with horse drawn carriages and fanfare – think Aladdin wedding and you’ll have a rough idea. And what’s more, they’ve become ardent fans of my blog, diligently voting for me every day! I’m sure the blog awards committee are gonna be puzzled to see my votes coming in from so many different exotic locations! Thank you B-desh family! Ami tumake bhalo bashi!!! The Brothers Here comes the Wolf Pack! Bobby’s brothers have also risen to the challenge of trying to help me get to the top. Busy lawyers, bankers and doctors, taking time out in the midst of operating and who knows what not, to vote for little ol’ me! Some have even been trying to get their employees to vote for me, unbelievable! They may call themselves the Wolf Pack, but I think Care Bear Bunch is a more befitting name. 😛 Thank you guys! You’re the best brothers Bobby could ever ask for. Our Wedding Planner Beth, Beth, Beth! Thank you!!!! Anyone who’s ever worked with me will know I can be a tough and demanding cookie, a perfectionist with borderline insane attention to detail. So trust me, as my wedding planner, coordinating the most important day of my life, Beth did not have an easy time at all. I thought she would hate me (haha!), but instead the opposite has happened. Not only have we become friends, but Beth has been following my blog and supporting me ever since that day. I love waking up to see Beth’s messages and I’m truly moved every time I see her efforts to help, getting her family vote, even all the way out in the USA. For a perfect wedding and a great friendship, thank you Beth! I will always be in your debt. The Partner Best friend, best business partner and of course, best videographer! Thank you Yong Thye, for voting for me every day, for taking time our from your busy wedding schedule and everything else, to help film my Wake Up With Me Video. Year upon year, every time I’ve been able to reach the finals of the Singapore Blog Awards, you’ve taken the time to help me with your support and amazing videography skills. I’m sorry so far all these efforts have been in vain as we’ve never managed to nab that elusive title. But please know that your efforts will never be forgotten. You’re an excellent friend and the best business partner I could ever wish for. I might not say it enough, but really thank you from the bottom of my heart! The Love Of My Life He’s always there as my best friend, pillar of strength and loyal fan. Because of his unwavering support, I was able to step out of my comfort zone and pursue my passion. He’s also the reason why I could stay the course all this while and never give up despite all the odds. Thank you for everything. I’ll always love you. With love, Your Bubbaloo Bear Finally… Please forgive me if I didn’t mention you because there really is like a million people I want to thank, not only for voting, but for supporting me and my blog all these years. Fellow bloggers, readers, my new IT team, mummy and daddy, all my school mates, ex-colleagues, my blog managers at Blackbox.sg , friends of friends, my property agent, that guy in Italy we bought something from on eBay (no joke) and some of the best beauty brands in the world! Thank you, always! We’re still 2 days away so there’s still a teeny weeny possibility that I may be able to win the competition. Please help me realise my dreams by casting a vote in my favour here – https://apps.facebook.com/panasonic_sg_vote/?eid=7&event=14  I’ll be eternally grateful. Thank you. 🙂 Your friend, Juliana #SingaporeBlogAwards #SingaporeBlogAwards2015 #thoughtpost

My dear friends and loved ones, After a last minute flurry of activity, with votes coming in left, right and centre, pushing my final vote count to an unimaginable 1101, I still only managed to finish in second place. As I write this, I’m wiping away a tear from my eye. Not a tear of sorrow, but a tear of joy and gratitude. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be able to garner more than a handful of votes, never mind enough votes to make me a serious contender for the top spot. No matter what happens, what the outcome, I know that I’m truly the luckiest gal in the world. Whee! Waking up everyday to see your encouraging messages gave me the strength and courage to keep going, even when it seemed like there was no hope. But dear friends, hope is not lost. With your support, I was able to pour my heart and soul into two posts which were submitted to the judges for their consideration. You can read all the finalists’ submissions here – http://blog.omy.sg/sba-plus/category/2015-best-beauty-blog/ With the ‘Most Popular’ spot taken, we can still vie for the judges’ choice for Best Beauty Blog 2015. If lady luck was to shine on me one more time, this will surely be a prize that we all earned together. The award ceremony takes place on July 23rd, I hope that the next time you hear from me, I will be bringing tidings of joy. You’re my life force, you’re my friends. I wuv you all!! Your friend, Juliana #SingaporeBlogAwards2015 #thoughtpost

Today, I fired up my web browser to write a beauty review entry but I found myself pondering my goals and career milestones instead. So I decided to pen this post – My reflections of 2015 so far. Well, I’ve done quite a lot this year – hosted my very first health and wellness event with my husband , went on a nice honeymoon , got married again in the UK (haha!), took part in the Singapore Blog Awards and acquired a new office space for Honeyz Cube . Even though I’ve got a lot going on for me and my young company,  I realised I’m no longer as driven and enthusiastic as before. My creative juices seemed to have stopped flowing. I feel like I’m juggling too many roles at once. I’m not even motivated to update my company or blog social media pages anymore. I’ve just been going where the wind blows and working like I have to, and not because I want to. Everything that I’ve created today is what I envisioned and exactly what I wanted. But somehow, I was beginning to feel ‘work fatigue’. What’s going on? Anyone ever felt like this? I watched The Intern  (starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway) last week and Anne Hathaway’s predicament in the movie actually made me question my career and business decisions. Ugh! Okay, I won’t elaborate too much about the movie since it’s still playing in the theatres. All I can say is that it was very heartwarming yet thought-provoking for me.  You have to go watch it! 😛 I had a meeting with my team yesterday about our upcoming website revamp and our goals for 2016 and that’s when it struck me – amidst all the planning, expanding and revolutionising, I’d forgotten why I started Honeyz Cube in the first place. Here’s a recap – I used to have nasty skin problems and as such, I’d tried many beauty treatments and over-the-counter products to rectify the problem. These beauty endeavours had good and bad effects. But I can tell you – the ramifications of using bad beauty treatments still linger today. I wished there was an avenue for me to read others’ comments and feedback about treatments and regimes, or even share my own experiences so others wouldn’t commit the same mistakes. Bad skin or bad beauty practices can not only hurt your self-esteem, it can even be detrimental to your health. Honeyz Cube was born out of this need – an informative platform and a community where like-minded individuals could convene, network, share their own pleasant or unpleasant beauty experiences and ultimately, help each other make more informed and optimised purchase decisions in the shortest time possible. None of us realised during our meeting yesterday that all the new features and modules being suggested were no longer in line with what we wanted to achieve when we first started out. Halfway through the meeting, my husband, Bobby, who had sat through the meeting in silence, suddenly banged one of our products on the table like it was a Judge’s gavel and said ‘What’s happened to the beauty encyclopedia?” That literally woke all of us up. We realised we’d been chasing the dollar instead of our dream. The rising bills associated with having your own office, the hunger for short-term gains had derailed us from our real goal and Honeyz Cube’s initial purpose. That explains all the frustration and the deadpan attitude I’ve had recently towards my work. (Thank you Bobby!) So we went back to the drawing board to re-write our targets and goals. I’m proud to say that we are now on track and we also have a new project schedule that is perfectly in line with our initial objectives. Think user-friendly interfaces, beauty video tutorials and workshops for beauty lovers to meet, discuss and learn new beauty hacks. We promise that Honeyz Cube will continue to be your little coffret of delightful beauty finds and content. And the best part is, we now have a new studio to support all our project activities! Whee! Being your own boss and taking the path less travelled is never easy. You have to take care of your company’s welfare, take care of your staff and your colleagues, it really pushes you to the edge of your sanity. I guess the pressure really got to me and I began to make decisions that benefited us in the short term but could have actually been harmful in the long run. It was scary! Right now, I’m just happy that I have my husband and my teammates’ full support. We’ll be able to get through this together. Writing this post has helped me reflect on my personal resolutions and also reminded me of the reason why I created Honeyz Cube in the first place. I’ll never stop trying or believing. You shouldn’t either! I hope my story can also spur you to stay true to YOUR own goals and not lose sight of your vision. Life is too short to spend time on things that don’t matter. Have fun and stay inspired! Your friend, Juliana #HoneyzPaintHouse #reflections #thoughtpost #HoneyzCube #lifestyle

“Happiness is, when you make unexpected new friends.” Before I met my husband, Bobby, I spent most of my time at my workplace and free time at home on my couch creating new content for my blog and business. In other words, I wasn’t going out and meeting new people at all. So I was single for a while. My friends decided that enough was enough and eventually, dragged me out of my cave, into the sunlight by inviting me to several parties every week. On Halloween, I finally succumbed to the “peer pressure” and attended a Halloween cocktail party and there I met the love of my life, Bobby. The rest is history. Thank you, friends. 🙂 But what are the odds? I think my social circle actually shrunk tenfold after I left school. With our crazy “adulthood schedules” now, I reckon you have to be a real social butterfly to meet tons of new people everyday. What happens if you’re the social cocoon who can never run out of things to say to your close friends but can barely strike a conversation with people you just met? Don’t fret, it’s 2016 and the dating game is vastly different now, thanks to technology. If I did time travel back to five years ago when I was single, the thought of meeting my soulmate through an online site or app would seem pretty implausible. Maybe even hover close to the being creepy line. Haha! My single friends are telling me they are successfully meeting new people through dating apps that match them to people they like and find attractive. Please allow me to be more precise (and blunt), physically attractive to be exact. It’s pretty obvious that the downside of this is that it can get pretty superficial and you can end up dating “the wrong one”. The good news is, recently I was introduced to a new dating app called Happn that allows you to find the people you’ve crossed paths with in real life! Now imagine this – you just met this new guy at the gas station and you guys hit it off right away. Then you leave the premises with butterflies in your stomach all excited about this happy encounter… … and boom! You realize you forgot to exchange contacts. Great. Now what do you do. 🙁 Use Happn ! Happn  is the dating app that gives you that precious and inconceivable second chance after you missed the first one! Haha! Its key purpose is to help you discover and contact the people you have crossed paths with and would like to find again. The app is geolocated and uses real-time. This means every time you cross paths with another member, their profile will appear on your app. It’s really easy to sign up. All you have to download the app from App Store, Play Store or Windows Store, then sign in with your Facebook account and you can embark on this exciting friendship journey in a jiffy! Next, allow Happn to access your location and you’re on your way to connecting with the people you just met! When you cross paths with that special someone, you can like them with the heart icon as shown below. Don’t worry, you won’t look creepy as they’ll never find out unless they reciprocate with a heart too! And when that happens, you can happy dance because you can now start a conversation! You may also send a Charm to let them know you’re interested! A Charm sends the other person a notification. If you both like each other, you can start a conversation too! Yay! I found the guy at the gas station! What I love about the app is not only can you chat with the other Happner (Come on! Which dating app can’t let you do that?), but it also allows you guys to connect on a deeper level by sharing your favorite tunes through Spotify! Now that’s something. So is the app free I hear you ask? The app is available on a freemium basis. This means you can download and use some of the features for free. Liking profiles and having conversations are free. A premium is charged when you want to send a Charm. Each Charm is worth one credit. A virtual store is available directly on the app or you can earn credits by referring friends to the app. I know there might still be some security concerns lingering at the back of your mind. What if the other party is a weirdo or starts stalking you? Here are some measures Happn has rolled out to mitigate those “creeps”, The location of a user remains completely invisible to the other users, as only the location of where you have passed each other is saved. You can block another user or report any unwanted behaviour at any time. Facebook Connect is used only to show common friends and interests, and to prevent fake profiles. Happn will never post anything on the Facebook walls of its members without their approval. The concept of reciprocity guarantees an app experience without any spamming or harassment. All in all… Aristotle said “Man is by nature a social animal” but it’s never easy putting ourselves out there. The fear of embarrassing face-to-face rejections usually outweighs any intense desire to start a conversation with someone you like. So I think this is an amazing app to begin your exciting dating journey with. Forget about the traditional stigmas about online dating. There are no real protocols as to how you should date. Happn gives us a second chance, the chance to discover and to meet that person that has caught your eye, and to avoid all those missed connections. When everything goes well and falls into place, this will surely become one hell of a modern day fairytale to tell your grandkids. Seize everyday coincidences and take advantage of paths crossed in real life. Download the Happn App here –  happn.com Your friend, Juliana #advertorial #Happn

HUAT are you wearing this Chinese New Year? Haha! Pardon the wordplay. I just can’t help it! To answer the question myself, anything and everything red of course! Besides being grandma’s favorite color, the fiery hue also symbolizes good fortune and joy. I definitely need some good luck for the rest of the year as I embark on my new business venture. Hehe! 2018 has been one hell of a ride. I’ve been burying my head in work almost everyday since I got back from Sydney in early January. From styling shoots in the studio, creating new content for the blog to preparations for the new business. I think I’ve accomplished more these few weeks than I did in the whole of last year. Haha! Well, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Despite the unforgiving schedule, I’m still doing what I love, having fun and making sure I’m wearing an amazing closet while tackling the challenges at work. 😛 I hope it’s the same for you too! Let’s all promise to always stay inspired in creating a life we love, shall we? Okay, back to today’s subject – Chinese New Year get-ups! I have a bunch of cool dresses with mandarin collars but I decided to go for an edgier vintage look for the festive season. Tweed is definitely making a comeback and here’s my take on Coco Chanel’s signature look! Psst! To add a little punch in my garb, I paired the tweed skirt with this unique cropped top that features a scrunch petal hem detail. Keep scrolling and go vintage wandering with me! THE FASH SQUAD Top and skirt: Joop Boutique (Quote CNYBunny to enjoy $10 off your total bill with min. $88 purchase at www.jovet.com.sg, from now through 15 Feb 2018.) Bag and sunshades: Chanel Heels:  Pedro Earrings: Lovisa Hair: Shunji Matsuo Ngee Ann (Quote ‘Honeyz’ to enjoy 10% off any chemical service by senior stylist, William.) Photography  by  Bobby Stryker In this paw-some and glorious year of the Dog, I wish you smiles of paws-perity and lots of great opportunities! Huat ah! Lotsa love, luck and cheer, Juliana #JoopBoutique

I first witnessed the glory of TaoBao when I organised a business delegation to participate in the APEC SME Summit in Hangzhou five years ago. Since the conference was enthusiastically supported by Alibaba.com’s founder, Jack Ma, the event inherently included a major Taobao trade fair that was attended by more than 150,000 retailers, wholesalers and of course, zealous shoppers. 😛 To be honest, I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event. Never in my life have I seen so many stores, types of products and passionate entrepreneurs all in one place. Not to mention, the millions of rmb being transacted within a few days. For the exact numbers, you can check out  here and here . (These links also contain press releases that I had written for the event). Even though TaoBao was already a huge hit in China then, there was still excessive regulations and difficulties that prevented me from purchasing the products from Singapore. So I stuck to eBay and Gmarket. Well today, the world has changed and digital boundaries are also less prevalent. With the sprawling network of TaoBao agents, we can now explore China’s wholesale paradise and shop with ease. But not every TaoBao agent is created equal. It took me ages before I found my shopping saviour that is reliable, customer oriented and reasonably priced. Meet 65 Daigou , my new global shopping concierge. My wedding props arrived in one perfect piece from TaoBao just before my wedding shoot. Read on to find out how fast it took via 65Daigou! 😀 [df_divider el_width=”100″ style=”solid” accent_color=”#EEEEEE” border_t_width=”2px” padding=”20px 0″ position=”align_center” el_class=””] So why do you need a Taobao agent? Previously, Taobao only allowed consumers to purchase with Chinese credit cards, so by engaging an agent, you can bypass the credit card restrictions and purchase your products. If you think the trouble is over. Well, not exactly. Many sellers are not willing to ship overseas so the agents act like Vpost and help you receive the products with a Chinese address. Also, if you’re not apt in the Chinese language, it could be a nightmare shopping on Taobao as everything is written in Mandarin. Most Taobao agents are bilingual so that eliminates the language barrier. So what makes 65Daigou stand out? On top of everything that was mentioned, they also inspect the condition of the items received and send them back to the sellers if they are faulty. And!!! My new shopping partner does exactly what its carrier bag says – buys the world for ya! Besides Taobao, you can also use 65Daigou’s services to purchase your favorite Victoria’s Secret bikinis, Gucci handbags, household items from Macy’s and many many more . All you have to do is  register a 65daigou account .  That’s Step One. 🙂 Step Two: Find the product you want to purchase on Taobao.com or any other shopping site. Then cut and paste the item’s url on this bar that is located on the top of the page. The bar is available on every page so you can’t miss it. Today, I’m looking for props for my Disney-themed wedding. So I’m gonna search for Disney (迪士尼) on Taobao.com. Aha! I found the best representation of classic Disney characters – Mrs Potts and Chip! 😀 Now cut and paste their product url on the bar. Then hover over the “EZ-BUY” button and click to submit your purchasing request. This screen should appear. Psst! Many of you have asked me for the url of this adorable tea set, here it is –  http://www.65daigou.com/Production/AgentProductDetail.aspx?id=22198776070 .  This is where 65Daigou captures all the info of the product from Taobao.com. You can select the shipping method or submit any additional remarks for the item. I selected Express Air which took 10 days to arrive. It could have been earlier actually. Why?  Because one of the wedding accessories I bought comes in a set that comprises of a veil and headband. However, its default option is to purchase the headband only. Take note that many Taobao product pages which sell more than one item usually offers different combinations so you’ll have to make sure that you selected the correct one. I wanted both the veil and headband but I obviously missed out the different options that were highlighted under 颜色 (see image above). I was surprised to receive the following messages from 65Daigou shortly after I checked out my items. They contacted me to confirm the combination of products that I wanted. After clarifying that I actually wanted both the veil and headband, they proceeded to change the order and deduct the correct amount from my 65Daigou Prepay account on my behalf. This is why delivery took slightly longer than expected. Mistake corrected without me lifting a finger. I was absolutely impressed with the impeccable level of service. 🙂 Step Three: Are you done with your orders? Great. Now review them in your shopping cart. As you can tell from the screenshot, they also offer insurance for your purchases, giving customers peace of mind while shopping. Step Four: Now proceed to pay 65Daigou via your very own 65Daigou prepay account. No money in the account? No worries! You can top up the account by clicking on “My Prepay” or “My Payment” and pay via internet banking, ATM transfer, Paypal or credit card. Do note that transaction costs may apply for certain payment methods. This payment covers the product cost and domestic shipping fee. After your orders are processed and shipped to Singapore, you’ll have to make your second payment for the international shipping fee and 65Daigou’s service fees. Step Five: Are you still with me? Good. Now you can check the status of the deliveries under “My Order”. Step Six: Once the items have arrived our sunny shores, make your second payment as mentioned earlier and select the delivery method (home delivery /self-collection / MRT pickup / Neighborhood collection). And now your items are on their way! Honeyz Shopping Tip! There are many sellers on Taobao who will offer the same products so remember to check seller ratings before purchasing. For more information about seller ratings, services and what-nots, you can check out this blogpost that dissected every detail of shopping on Taobao and 65daigou. And now let’s check out my star buys! ‘FRAGILE’ shipping labels were plastered all over my package. The accessories arrived in padded envelopes and the glassware was nicely cushioned with bubble wrap. Aww.. they look so much better in real life! Mrs Potts and Chip Tea Set I also bought some hair accessories for my Paris wedding shoot back in May. The items look exactly or better than the stock images on Taobao. I was utterly amazed by their immaculate quality. Here’s a quick comparison of the items I received and their Taobao images: Taobao: Item received:  Taobao: Taobao: Taobao: Item received: Taobao: Item received: I was pretty worried that my shoulder necklace might arrived tangled but guess what? It came in mint condition and was nicely assembled in a classy box. You can check out more photos of my Taobao accessories on these posts: – Bridal Beauty Log: My DIY Wedding Looks – “My Love From The Star” Cheon Song Yi Bridal Makeup Tutorial Also ‘hauled’ a reflector disc from Taobao for only 5 bucks. The exact same one costs about 30 bucks on Qoo10. What a steal! 😀 Taobao: The crazy world of Taobao can put any shopaholic in the throes of depression. So make sure you do your homework by reading lots of reviews and compare seller ratings and of course, also engage a reliable agent! 65Daigou’s bilingual features, timely updates and multiple delivery options just kicks it up a notch and makes shopping on Taobao less intimidating. They basically streamlined the entire buying process for me! To top it off, they also reward their customers with discounts in the form of credit points for future purchases as well as delightful giveaways. What more can you ask for? Eh.. an exclusive Honeyz promo code of course! 😀 Exclusive Offer For Honeyz Belles! Receive 15% off by quoting 65FIRST15 upon check out.  Current promotion: Top up Prepay account with your UOB credit card and get 15% off shipping fee (Promo code – UOBV65DG) Find out more: 65Daigou.com ,  65daigou Facebook  &  65daigou Instagram Your friend, Juliana Disclaimer: Please be rest assured that even though the products were sponsored, they do not have any bearing on the content of this post. Opinions stated are objective and genuine. Also note that all sources, information, content, links are valid to change at any time. #65Daigou #Wedding #beautyreview #beauty #shopping #BridalBeautyLog

As mentioned before, 2014 has been simply cray cray. On top of the wedding paraphernalia and Honeyz Cube affairs, I was also occupied with another major project – house hunting. It was exciting at first checking out showrooms of new projects. However, as the search went on, we began to feel dejected by the limited choices we had around the vicinity we wanted and the unstretchable budget we had. Another blatant problem? We would be homeless after the lease at our current home expires in a few months. Gulp! So it appeared that we couldn’t afford time either. The setbacks, reality checks and the gruelling wedding prep process were certainly a recipe for insanity. And then, we had a lightbulb moment! You know, there are many practical variables we need to consider before purchasing a home but most importantly, we need to be able to picture ourselves living comfortably in that home. Therefore, what makes a better home than the one we’ve already been living in for the past three years? We had so many great memories here and it would be perfect if we could continue to create more wonderful memories in this familiar space. As fate would have it, we spoke to our landlord and managed to come to an agreement that benefited both parties. So here I am – typing this in the apartment I now call home! Whoopee! And this also means….. we have free rein to decorate the house now! Double yay! I need a girl cave. 😛 Meanwhile, click to check out the little changes we’ve made to our new #Bobblianahome! The Living Room You’ve probably seen parts of it a thousand times on my Instagram @Ilovebunnynet  and Youtube channel . So here you go, this is how the entire space actually looks like. Since the house is more than a decade old, the current fixtures and lights look a little dated. Hence, we’re hoping to give our new home a makeover and recreate the lush resort feel we had at the Shangri-La Villingili Resort during our #Honeyzmoon . The overhaul began at this corner. We sprinkled a little fairy dust and hey presto! A new sofa from X-Clusive Home , recommended by our friends! 😀 This is no ordinary sofa. See what it can do! At the press of a button… It reclines! Haha! Being the movie buffs that we are, we spend almost 80% of our lives sitting here watching movies. So the first thing we had to change was none other than the couch! We always fancy the luxurious settings at Golden Village’s Gold Class theatres hence, we decided to use their space as a reference for our own. Grey always amps up the cosy feel of the room so we chose a grey electric reclining sofa and paired it with these plush pillows we got from Big Box and D’Galleria . The space still looks a little plain, don’t you think? It’s time to switch the style factor up a notch! Added this cool black shaggy rug from Big Box which fitted our room like a glove! Tadah! Not too bad for our first #Bobblianahome DIY project eh? This is not all. We’re hoping to update all the fixtures, lightings and appliances eventually. Our plans include – creating a Dolby Atmos home theatre, get a convertible dining/pool table, build a fireplace and many many more! Can’t forget – also styling the ultimate Girl Cave! Haha! This is going to be so exciting! I’ll be showing you other parts of the house such as the kitchen, bathrooms, bedroom in due course so please stick around! P.S. If you’re in the renovation business and would love to embark on this new journey with us, we’re more than happy to welcome you onboard. Drop me an email at honeyz@ilovebunny.net and we can discuss more! Alright, gotta go back to home decor researching with HGTV! 😛 For instant snippets of our new home, follow this tag #Bobblianahome on Instagram. Have fun! Your friend, Juliana #Interiordesign #newhome #BobblianaHome #Projects #lifestyle

This year, the travel junkie in me has definitely taken a turn down the path less travelled. In place of the usual city retreats, I’ve been getting back in touch with my love for Mother Nature. It has been a literal breath of fresh air exploring the famous British Peak District, snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the Maldives and getting up close and personal with the breathtaking underwater world at Singapore’s very own Equarius Hotel. Nothing helps you unwind after a long stressful day quite the way Mother Nature does. Her soothing colours, sights and sounds can wash away any worries. It’s no wonder so many resorts, retreats and villas share this naturalistic theme. So it was only ‘natural’ that we too started to look at these designs for inspiration in planning and designing our own home, in an attempt to make our home our very own city retreat. But the high end wallpapers used by a lot of luxury resorts can be a real challenge to both put up and maintain, if you don’t have a luxury resort-sized budget. All it takes is one dog eared corner of wallpaper peeling and rolling up after a few years, and your classy inner city retreat will immediately appear aged and tired. Talking of dog-eared, our favourite shaggy dog at Dulux has obviously been listening to our new-home-owner woes. Voila Dulux’s Ambiance range, promising all the glamour of chic wallpaper without any of the drawbacks. Intrigued? I sure was! Click to find out more! I’m sure most of you probably don’t think of painting your walls as a way of making your living space more exciting. The mental image of white washed walls, slowly turning yellow over time isn’t an appealing one. Well, Dulux is onto a game changer. Soon people will be saying as exciting as watching paint dry instead of as boring as watching paint dry, I kid you not! Through a few smart brush strokes, Dulux’s new Ambiance range is literally special effects for your walls. My interest was first piqued when I heard that Nadya Hutagalung had in fact collaborated with Dulux to come out with her very own range of Dulux Ambiance special effects paints and colours. She crafted her own unique, natural and stylish blends directly in collaboration with Dulux’s artisans. I’ve been a fan of Nadya’s for quite some time. Whether she’s presenting on MTV Asia, hosting Asia’s Next Top Model or carrying out her Eco-warrior duties, she knows what looks good. I knew if she was involved, then there must be something special about this range and once I got to see it in real life I saw why. I was literally taken aback by how good this paint looks, it really mimics high end wallpaper offering shiny metallic finishes, a luxuriously smooth to touch velvet finish, a linen finish which really looks like you could make yourself a pair of jeans with it, and last but not least, my favourite, a sublime marble finish. All finishes come in a host of colours to perfectly suit your dream home and the unique nature of paint means that no two walls will ever look identical. Gone is the risk of walking into your friends’ home to discover that they have the same feature wall as you. All it takes is a base top coat (using the Dulux Ambiance All range) and then a few applications of Dulux’s magical Ambiance paint, and your room is literally reinvigorated. It is simple enough to do yourself, yet complex enough to be transformed into unique patterns when applied by Dulux Ambiance certified painters. ‘Virtually no paint smell’, washable, mold and fungus resistant, environmentally friendly, you name it, this paint does it. Dulux has really turned the tables on the home renovation market. Suddenly painting your walls sounds exciting, fresh and timeless. You can use paint to uniquely express yourself and customize your home in ways that would never have been possible with wallpapers. Wanna see for yourself? Simply head over to Space Furniture , the luxury furniture showroom in Bencoolen and experience for yourself first hand the difference a fresh lick of paint can make. If you would like to find out more about the new Dulux Ambiance range, visit their website at www.duluxambiance.com.sg and download their coffeetable book for all the inspiration you need for your new home. Get Inspired and Win! Dulux are strong believers that people should be able to express themselves freely, show their style and personality at work and at home. They want you to be inspired and inspire others. To that end, Dulux are offering three lucky contestants a glamorous @2DN1 staycation. To take part in the #MyAmbiance Contest, simply follow Dulux (@Duluxsg)  on Instagram and upload an inspirational photo to your public Instagram account showcasing your personality with a description explaining how the picture inspires you to personalize your space and hashtag #MyAmbiance and #DuluxSG. All entries must be submitted from 20/11/15 to 20/12/15. I can’t wait to get inspired by your entries. Have fun and good luck! Your friend, Juliana #advertorial #contest #Dulux

Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello! What do those names make you think of? Why, amazing artists, sculptors and painters of course! Dulux is all out to remind everyone how artistic and fulfilling painting can be. As I ramp up plans for my own home reno, I remember that it’s not about white washing all my walls, it’s about making my space my home, to add my personal touch, to make it unique and somewhere I can relax and call my own at the end of every day. It’s your space, so why not mark your territory and really make it individual like you! Dulux teamed up with some local creative talents to really open our eyes and show us that the possibilities are endless! Want to know what you can do with a simple wall, a brush and some paint? Then read on to find out! 😛 You don’t need to be a homeowner to get in on the fun; in fact the best time to practice is right now. If you’ve got a room that you call your own, then you can already get your sketchbook out to plan some designs to create your own artistic inner city-oasis and retreat. And they say practice makes perfect, so after you’ve perfected your room, you’ll be ready for bigger projects such as your own place next time *wink* Want some inspiration before you don your painter’s overalls? Then let’s check out what our local talents have been up to. Dulux offered three local talents their own feature walls on which to express themselves creatively using the medium of paint. Janice Wong, master pastry chef and founder of 2am: dessertbar, as well as Nat Ho, local actor and singer extraordinaire, have both been very active on their Instagram accounts illustrating their creative processes, but it was sister duo, Fictive Fingers, that really caught my attention. Hani and Aisah Dalduri, a pair of local sisters have succeeded in doing what most of us can only dream of, making a living out of passion while keeping alive our heritage and culture. What started out as a dinner conversation and then a small bedroom venture has become a fully-fledged, breathing and living enterprise. Fabulously fusing traditional culture with modern designs, they keep our local cultural heritage alive through their work. Using traditional hand printing textile techniques, while adding their own flare for fashion, Fictive Fingers have successfully managed to create traditional bags, pouches and apparel while remaining trendy and accessible for the masses. * The above images were extracted from Fictivefingers.com * In Malay, the word Raga refers to traditional wicker baskets that often come in various shapes and forms. These unique designs form the basis and inspiration behind Fictive Fingers’ Raga range of products, and also for their Dulux feature wall design. Combining the traditional geometric design with the artistic flair that they’ve come to be known for, the sisters have managed to successfully create a wall of art true to their ideals. This beautiful velvet and linen wall was of course created with Dulux’s latest Ambiance range that perfectly blends vibrant paint colors with special effects for a one-of-a-kind wall paper look. Psst! The attractive piece expertly combines cool with culture and sits perfectly at the Naumi Liaora Hotel, 55 Keong Saik Road. Go and check it out! You can also relive their creative process on their Instagram  www.instagram.com/fictivefingers  and at  #ragatherockstar Wanna know more about the Dulux Ambiance™ range for your home too? Well, you can read all about the Dulux Ambiance range on my previous post here or simply visit their website at www.duluxambiance.com.sg and download their coffeetable book for all the inspiration you need for your new home. With paint, the only limit is your imagination! I’m so inspired and excited; I literally can’t wait to get to started on my own place! How about you, tempted to pick up the brush? All that remains to be said is cowabunga!!! Your friend, Juliana #advertorial #BobblianaHome

So here it is, bells and whistles, mistletoe and wine, the final leg of my festive posts are nigh! As some of you may know, I embarked on a major home renovation project last year. It was a tumultuous affair that lasted almost two years but I think I’m finally in a place where I can say it was well worth it! This post I’m going to give you a quick tour of the kitchen as I prep for my imminent annual family Christmas dinner. Now we all know that the climate in these parts can be somewhat monotonous, so to keep things interesting, I like to create my own seasonal vibes by adding accent touches to different areas and parts of the house. Voila my Christmas kitchen wreath ! The original kitchen featured stained wood cabinets and laminate counter tops accompanied by pink floor tiles. It was really outdated and the counters were nearly impossible to maintain. After my parents went crazy and gave my husband and I the most awesome housewarming gift, a baby pink retro styled Smeg fridge, we decided to embrace the classic European/Alice in Wonderland-esque retro theme with the help of our interior designer. Cue Spanish black and white floor tiles for a timeless finish and white cabinets with clean handle free European style panels. We went for grey quartz counter tops instead of granite as quartz is generally less porous and hence less likely to absorb food and wine colour when cooking. Additionally, quartz counter tops are much easier to maintain, not requiring annual sealing in the way granite counters do while still being very heat resistant. We reinforced the clean ambience by keeping the walls white, save for our pink glass backsplash and our gold faucet for a permanent accent piece. Starting from scratch we were able to design the kitchen around certain key elements that we really wanted to incorporate into our design. First was our slim tower wine rack which was neatly installed under our counter top. It looks uber sleek! But the best thing in this kitchen, which B calls the marriage saver, is our beloved Smeg dishwasher in the corner. *wink* Seriously, this has made such a big difference to our lives! Cook, bake, entertain, then just plop everything in before bed and be welcomed by clean, fresh and dry kitchenware in the morning. Means B and I get a good one-hour extra of couple time every night. It’s genius! Arguably as essential as having a washing machine! Alas, not everything can be put in the dishwasher. Delicates, such as crystal glasses, fine porcelain dinnerware and gold flatware still require a human touch. Even using the wrong sponge can lead to unsightly scratches and marks, some of which can even harbour harmful germs and bacteria! Eek! Thankfully I discovered the 3M range of scrub sponges. 3M were really smart when they realized that consumers are getting savvier about taking care of their homes so they came up with a sponge for every home-care occasion. My fave is their Scotch-Brite Delicate Care Scrub Sponge, perfect for taking care of my gold flatware with. For the chefs among you, there’s a super useful Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge which you can safely use on your non-stick cooking and frying pans without fear of scratching away the non-stick coating. When it’s time to roll up the sleeves, 3M have their Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge which will get out the hardest of the hard. Think baked on crusts, grilled cheese, dried egg and grains, this heavy duty scrub will take care of it all! And there you have it, my idea of style and function in harmony! How about you? What’s a must-have for your dream kitchen? Let me know in the comments below! All I need now is my cuppa tea. 😛 Your friend, Juliana Disclaimer: Please rest assured that even though this post was created in partnership with 3M, it does not have any bearing on the content of this post. Opinions stated are objective and genuine. Also note that all sources, information, content, links are valid to change at any time. #3M #BobblianaHome #SponsoredPost