EBC Self Storage for Entrepreneurs

Friday 29 May 2015

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Two years ago, when I was working on Tippyjess.com, I did not have an office space. As a young entrepreneur with limited funds, I was trying to cut down on overhead expenses. Working on an online store, I could literally work anywhere I want as long as I have my laptop with me. So my home became my workspace and I could even save on electricity bills (lol).

The only problem though, was storage space. My living room had boxes of clothes lining the walls and very soon, each inch of space available was taken up by my stocks. The house was messy, dusty and my family and I had to follow a pathway from the entrance to get to our rooms. My mum nagged a lot about the mess and then she just stopped completely, given up. Whereas my dad and siblings just took it all in silently and endured with me. (My family is the best!!)

Now that I have my own home, I finally understand how my mum felt. I realised I would NEVER want unlimited number of dirty cardboard boxes in my place, destroying the overall look, feel, comfort level and cleanliness. Besides, H will definitely kill me -_- So I turned to EBC Self Storage for help now that I am working on a new fashion label!


EBC Self Storage is located in EBC Lifestyle Hub (address: 50 Tagore Lane, #05-07, Entrepreneur Centre, Singapore 787494). The building was originally offering warehouse solutions and now has evolved to offer a range of storage and office solutions.

I still do not need a workspace currently since the only employee is myself and if I need peace, I have the entire home to myself in the day which provides a very conducive environment to work in and I can even cook lunch for myself! ;)


H and I went to store my first batch of stocks at EBC the other day! Trolleys are provided and free for all to use! A point to note - the lifts there are hugeeee so no worries if you are storing furniture or big items with EBC!


All storers have to key in a personalised passcode to enter the storage space.


Your name will be displayed and in you enter!

There is CCTV and security at the EBC Self Storage all day round so be rest assured your belongings are in good hands. With 24/7 access, especially for the nocturnal workers, you can head down to your storage unit anytime if you need to retrieve something!


I chose the Garden Theme storage space for myself and this is the sight that greets me after I enter.

This storage area is a climate controlled facility where there is air-condition 24/7 - great for e-commerce storage!



I love the effort EBC puts in to make the storage facility so aesthetically pleasing. The whole place was brightly lit, clean and I feel happy just being inside!


Also, each storage unit is individually locked so that's one less worry about having random strangers going around to pick the locks. Double security of passcode + key lock = safe belongings.


And here is my storage unit! I chose to have shelvings installed as I intend to use this unit to store all my new stocks. With the shelvings, everything can be clearly seen and arranged neatly. No longer do I have to hunt for pieces from box to box! EBC Self Storage has shelving options so if you need it, let them know and they will do the necessary arrangement!



I am starting small with this new clothing label and the stocks are progressively coming in so I shared the space with a couple of personal belongings currently (my household shelter is full and in a mess!!). The above is the total number of pieces I have for one design in two colours and three sizes. I cannot wait to fill up all the shelves with my designs!!



Of course, if you need a space to host a client or for short meetings, you can always head up to the EBC Sky Garden at Level 5. There is an authentic Indonesian restaurant, Pagi Sore, where you can have lunch meetings. All storers get to enjoy exclusive discounted rates when hosting events, bazaars, or product launches here!




If there is some work to be finished, storers can head over to the Club House (free wifi) to work, print or simply just relax with newspapers/magazines in the massage chair!

EBC Self Storage is the place to go for self-serviced storage, especially for new e-commerce businesses where we try to bring down overhead costs and choose to work from home instead.

If you are moving home or renting an apartment, do check out the "Personal Storage" option where packages of 3, 6 or 12 months are available. Of course, there are longer tenure options for business storage!

Interested? You would be happy to know that EBC Self Storage actually give taxi credits (free money omg?!) for first-time customers who go there to view the unit! Not only that. After signing up, there will be a one-time free move-in service provided as well!

Check out EBC Self Storage or give them a call to find out more! :)


Shinjuku Gyoen Park

Tuesday 19 May 2015

I was in Japan last month for Hanami. A little hard to believe but throughout my 5.5 years of flying, I have never been to Japan during the sakura season before. Like how I was never in Amsterdam during the tulip season as well. So this trip with the #whenboysvsgirls group checked one item off my bucket list!

On the day we planned to go cherry blossoms viewing, we were blessed with absolutely beautiful weather which made my first sakura season a memorable one. It was raining 3/5 of our entire stay so I'm glad we managed to catch those blooming pinks!

We headed to Shinjuku Gyoen Park (alight at Shinjuku station then walk straight mostly for ten minutes) and paid 200yen (~S$2.30) entrance fee for a more private and intimate viewing session. And we got just that! It was crowded, yes, but pretty manageable and you will be able to take relatively pretty photos without any photo bombers. I cannot say the same about Yoyogi Park during this season... It was BEYOND crowded, almost chaotic (imagine queueing at least 30 minutes for the restroom). Therefore, I highly recommend using your loose change and head to Shinjuku Gyoen instead!

I am a huge fan of flowers, I love all types so it was a joy walking into a park littered with pink petals at every corner. The beauty, tranquility and crisp air would lift anyone's mood.

It was my first sakura season and most definitely not my last. :)




















Photos taken with Canon 650D / 85mm lens


Review: ASUS Zenfone 2

Friday 15 May 2015

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Hello!

What do you think of the picture above? Looks like it's taken by a professional camera ya? I LOVE the depth of field (or blurred background). It is a little unbelievable but I actually achieved this effect using the camera function in ASUS ZenFone 2 which was recently launched!

Before I focus on the functions of the ZenFone 2, let me show you the exterior of the phone.


The size of it fits perfectly in my hands and after an extended period of using the phone surfing Instagram or updating my Dayre, my hand doesn't feel tired or stretched from holding it.


You'd be surprised to note there are no keys/buttons at the side of the ZenFone 2 which adds to the sleekness of the overall design. Which brings me to one of my favourite design aspect of the phone - the volume control! It is actually located at the rear of the phone (!!!).


You have no idea how convenient it is! You know sometimes when you are outside and a video of a screaming woman (or whatever) comes on and you'd be frantically searching for the volume keys to mute it? There would be at least 2 seconds of delay but for the ASUS ZenFone 2, your index finger would already be positioned there so no more embarrassing moments!!


When it comes to colours of phones, I like mine in classic shades so the metallic hairline finish in silver was perfect for me. I very much prefer to dress it up in cutesy phone covers hahaha. But if you are a fan of colours, you can choose from matte finish in black, white, red or hairline metallic finish in black, gold, silver or red!

About the more technological aspects of the phone, I'm going to highlight about the PixelMaster camera! For ZenFone 2, the images are SUPERB with the 13 megapixels and f/2.0 wide-aperture lens. There is zero shutter lag, images are sharp, clear and stunning. Even with low light, there is no flash required as the PixelMaster is capable of capturing up to 400% brighter photos. 


These are ALL the camera modes you can find in the phone! Not only these you see, there are even sub-categories okay?? 

For example, selfie. Taking selfies the usual way is a tad boring. With the ASUS ZenFone 2, you can edit your photo before you even take it.

This is a selfie taken at night in a cafe using the "Auto" mode.

And this is a selfie taken with the "Beautification" mode.

For easier comparison:

Did you notice I
1) made my eyes bigger
2) added blusher
3) gave myself fairer complexion, and
4) adjusted my face smaller?

Hahahaha. And I did all these BEFORE taking the picture. Is this "Beautification" mode amazing or what?! ASUS must have a female on the team when they designed this feature. How else can you explain the existence of all these functions???

By the way, I took the selfies with the front-facing 5 megapixel camera in lowlight and I must say, the quality turned out so much better than expected!


The "Panorama" mode also comes with selfie and this was taken at dinner the other day. I was still quite bad at it so Peggy was cut off :/ But it could've fit all of us and MORE!


And here, I have a comparison of two photos taken a minute apart but one in "Auto" mode and the other in "HDR" mode. The differences are obvious. The right picture taken in "HDR" is sharper, more defined and brighter. Better picture quality is now made possible with the use of a smartphone!


The "Manual" mode you find in the camera is awesome. The settings available such as ISO, Shutter Speed, Focus are all found in this mode. Everything can be adjusted for picture perfection which saves us the trouble of editing!


The ZenFone 2 allows dual-SIM (SIM cards x2) and dual-active 4G and its user interface, the Zen UI offers fully customisable settings so you can modify your device to your liking. So my phone is all pink and flowery with the most frequently used apps on the first page!

My wallpaper might not look like it but the ASUS ZenFone 2 is also known for its "Monster Performance". It is the first smartphone in Singapore to be equipped with 4GB RAM which means you can expect your phone and apps to run faster! 


Aimed to “Empower Luxury for Everyone”, you can expect the best specs in the ZenFone 2 that is comparable to high-end flagship models. Such as, a 64-bit 2.3GHz Super Quad-Core Intel processor which delivers 3x better performance and is 7x faster for gaming than the ZenFone. A laggy phone is something you won't encounter with the ZenFone 2.

In this age and time when everyone's smartphone battery runs out faster than we can compose an Instagram caption, the BoostMaster Fast Charging technology is almost godsend. The ZenFone 2 is able to charge up to 60% in only 39 mins (!!). Need a quick charge? Just head over to Starbucks for half an hour and the ZenFone 2 is revived again!


All in all, the ASUS ZenFone 2 is very much equal to other high-end smartphone brands in terms of design, performance, camera, yet it costs less than half the price of its competitors. For my phone model, the ASUS Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML 4GB/32GB) is retailing at only S$429.

If you want to get the 4GB “Monster Performance” ZenFone 2, head over to http://bit.ly/1Farc4F to pre-order and get your phone delivered to your doorstep!

To check the prices of the other models, you can head over to ASUS online store at  http://store.asus.com/sg/category/B4156 and if the price and model is right, you can even make your purchase directly from the online store without leaving home!

More information about the ZenFone 2 can be found at http://www.asus.com/sg/Phones/ZenFone_2_ZE551ML/.

I hope my post will allow you to make more informed decisions about your smartphone choice! :)