MollyMia Aspire to Inspire before we Expire

Saturday 27 October 2018

NZL Travelogue: Jucy Chaser Campervan Review

Hello, lovely readers! As y'all should know by now, I've just returned from a 9D8N campervan trip to New Zealand North Island recently. So before I get started from the long long journey of my NZL travelogue series (I took ONE year to complete my Hokkaido travelogue), I shall first get y'all started on the campervan we've chosen as our home-on-wheels for the trip.
The Jucy Chaser
The JUCY Chaser has everything you need for a road trip for three. Featuring two double beds, a fully-equipped kitchen and its very own shower and toilet, the JUCY Chaser is up for any adventure!The Chaser is fully self contained with a toilet, shower and grey water tank.
Using Toyota Hiace 2004 or newer model, Jucy has remodelled the automatic transmission van into a 3m high campervan (CV) with an interior height of 1.92m, with an 80L fresh water tank (two separated tanks, one for the shower and one for the kichenette tap) and 85L grey water tank.

And here's how the interior looks like. Pictures were taken on the very last day of our trip, hence things are a little messy. HEH!


The CV comes with blinds on all windows (with the exception of sun roof) so privacy will not be an issue. The Jucy Chaser does not come with air conditioning in the main cabin (air-con only available at the driver's cabin) but since the weather was pretty cold (10+ degree Celsius) at night, it wasn't any issue at all. 
We've tried sleeping on the sun-roof bed on the "upper deck" once, but felt that it was considerably less comfortable than sleeping on the lower bed, which we had to set up using an L-shaped board and cushion (the two pieces you see slotted in behind the driver's and passenger's seats) every night. And so, we ended up using the upper deck bed as storage space for our luggage, pillows, duvets and bath towels. 
There was only two of us, but since the Chaser is supposed to house 3 pax (technically, you can sleep 4, but maximum allowable capacity is limited by the number of seat belts), we had a total of 4 pillows, 2 duvets and 4 bath towels. 

The bench seats here provided more storage space, where we kept the portable heater (only usable when CV is hooked up to main 240v power at powered sites), portable table (which stands right at the "hole" you see in the picture above), and our grocery items which do not require to be refrigerated. 

On the other end of the CV is our toilet/shower stall and a "kitchen". The Jucy Chaser also comes with DVD player, that also requires hookup to 240v main power to be switched on. Rental of the CV does not come with free DVDs, but there is a shelf of "pre-loved" items, probably left behind by other tourists, which included a small selection of movie DVDs, and other foodstuff (spreads, oils and I even saw others taking canned food and fresh produce like onions). 
The big, long bags on the floor is the set of picnic chairs provided by Jucy, which we totally didn't use at all, and only served to take up more of our precious space. =.="

The "kitchenette", though extremely tiny, was still pretty well equipped with a 2-burner gas hob running on a mini (was it 2L?) LPG gas tank. However, due to tight space, and standard pot & pan sizes, we could only use 1 burner at a time. 

The whole kitchenette comes well equipped with cooking equipment like pot, pan, spatula, ladle, glass bowls, pasta strainer, chopping board, tea towel and dishwashing brush. 

The necessary crockery and utensil like fork, spoons, knives, can opener and peeler are also provided.

Up above the hob and sink are more storage space, where you can find your plates, small bowls, ceramic mugs and wine glasses. 

Last but not least, there's also a kettle for you to boil some hot water on the hob, and a toaster, which once again, will require hookup to the 240v main power to be used. 

By the side of the crockery/utensil tray are two electrical sockets (require 240v main power), which you can use to get the portable heater and toaster going. There's also our 50L compressor fridge and a fire extinguisher. 

Though looking rather tiny, the fridge (both the chiller and separate freezer compartment) was more than enough for us to stock up our 8 nights' worth of dinner ingredients. 

And right opposite the fridge are the switches to the 12v battery system, that charges up while the engine is running, and also while the CV is hooked up to 240v main power. So on the 12v battery, you'll get lighting in the main cabin, power to the fridge, water pump (that serves both the hot water shower and sink) and ACC, which allows you to charge devices on the USB port and also switches on the stereo in the driver's cabin. For the 1st night of our trip, we drove for merely 2 hours, and the battery lasted us.... 30 minutes.


The toilet and shower stall is unbelievably small, but still decent. Hot water shower can get pretty hot (for me), and the water pressure is rather strong. But do note that due to the tiny space, privacy will be an issue because there is no way can you manage undressing and dressing up inside the shower stall itself. Just soaping myself up in the stall makes me bump into the walls here and there. 
The toilet bowl can be turned to one side to give you more space to shower, but it's actually quite negligible.  

As for the cassette toilet, we only used it for number 1 when the need arises (usually only in the early mornings at free campgrounds), plus there's this blue powder that came along with it, that helps to keep the cassette smelling like some hardcore chemical factory "fresh". It also stains all your pee (not sure about number 2, because we didn't use the cassette toilet for number 2s at all) blue, so it feels less dirty while you're pouring it away at the public dump stations (PDS).

And here's how we did it.


Always make sure that the toilet cover is closed before you can remove the cassette, and you can just twist the cap open and tip it right into the black water pipe opening at the dump station. Using the water hose provided at the dump station, give it a good rinse before empty another sachet of the magic blue power into the cassette, pour a little bit more water in, squish it around to mix, and replace the cassette back into the slot. 

Emptying the grey water tank is much easier, as you only need to attached the hose (provided in the CV), place the other end at the grey water pipe opening, pull the valve to the tank open, and wait until the water runs dry. 

Jucy requires us to return the CV with fully filled fresh water tanks and emptied grey water tank & toilet cassette. But you do not need to worry about locating a PDS on the way back, as there's a PDS located right inside their compound. 


Apparently, they also have after hours return service available. However, I'm not sure if it's also applicable to CVs, or only for car rentals. 


And here's some snippets of where our Jucy Chaser has brought us to over the course of 9 days, covering a distance of almost 2500km across the North Island. 




Compared to other MotorHomes providers like Wilderness, Maui and etc, Jucy is definitely more affordable and gives you a bigger bang for your buck, providing you with a no-frills CV that's fully equipped with all the bare necessities for a manageable and enjoyable campervan road trip.
Our rental of 9 days (for their spring season) only set us back by 900+ NZD all in, inclusive of insurance, which is quite a good deal.
One issue to note will be the estimated fuel consumption as stated on some rental websites though. It was stated on some rental websites of about 10 - 12L /100km. But we found that a full tank (of 70L) only lasted us at most 500km, which makes it at least 14L /100km.

Jucy also has some awesome relocation deals for their rentals, going for as low as only $1 a day. Find out more on such steals HERE

Till then,
Mia Foo

Wednesday 24 October 2018

Mia Eats: Wild Blooms


- credits to https://www.facebook.com/wildbloomssg -

Hey peeps, it's October again! The month of the year I've gradually grown to (kinda) dread as the numbers of my age just get bigger and bigger. But all thanks to my childhood bestie, there's always a reason to anticipate this month of the year regardless of how big those numbers are getting. HEH!
And this year, she found me these ridiculously beautiful birthday cakes!

Located at The Midtown at Upper Serangoon, Wild Blooms is a floral-themed cafe that has just opened this year. The cafe is pretty small, with only a single table for 2 on the 1st level of the cafe (and a couple of tables in alfresco setting), which tends to get quite a lot of sunlight in the afternoon. A short climb up the stairs will you to more seats on the 2nd floor, with really pretty marble tables! 

Osmanthus Tea 

Osmanthus, my love <3
Other than being a coffee junkie, I'm also a huge fan of tea-drinking, and Osmanthus has to be my absolute favourite (flower/floral) flavour, ever! And having such a IG-worthy strainer also makes the entire tea-drinking experience twice as enjoyable, don't you agree?
There's a whole lot of other flavours for your to choose from and you can also mix them up to create your own special tea flavour. Don't worry about feeling lost, or ending up with a less than ideal taste for your tea. The tea menu comes with all the recommendation you'll need to mix up the flavours, or you can also choose from the existing tea blends they've created in the menu.

Mozzarella Sticks Ala Marinara


We might have left the cheese sticks standing on the table for a little too long, for they were just a little more than lukewarm, and not "piping hot" enough for the mozzarella to be stringy and gooey.  The breaded crust was still very crispy and the generous topping of more cheese sauce added so much more flavour that I actually did not need the Marinara dipping sauce to enjoy the cheese sticks. 

Charcoal Wings

The chicken wings were fried till crispy on the outside yet still tender and juicy on the inside. Despite being slathered in a thick coating of slightly sweet and spicy squid ink sauce, the battered skin of the wings still managed to retain the crispiness.
However, this is not the dish you would want to order when trying to impress your first date. Do not expect yourself to look dainty and elegant while devouring these yummy chicken wings. It may even change your make up style for the day and make you look more Gothic with your newly "applied" black lip colour.

Korean Spicy Chicken Burger

As you guys should know by now, I'm a huge fan of burgers and I was actually eyeing their Sambal Pulled Pork Burger, but then I saw "KOREAN SPICY CHICKEN" and I'm sold.

Not regretting getting this, although the Sambal Pulled Pork burger is equally yummy as well (bestie chose that). The buns are so soft and fluffy, and the battered fried chicken so thick and juicy, and drenched in a generous serving of a sweet and spicy sauce that taste exactly like the yangnyeom sauce. I just couldn't stop eating the burger until I polished it off the plate. 

And now, the main reason for our visit.
Flower Tea Jelly Cakes
(various flavours - Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Osmanthus etc)

Can you believe your eyes, people? These cakes are ridiculously beautiful!
These beautiful brewed tea infused jelly cakes are a result of Wild Blooms' collaboration with T.U.B (The Utopian Botanist). Every flower (petal) in the cake is painstakingly handcrafted and takes not only a crazy amount of talent, but also a strong dedication to create the most beautiful flower for their patrons.


A while back, the bestie came across a video of how such Gelatin Art Cakes are made, and never would we have thought that one day we will be able to find such cakes in Singapore. And seriously, these two cakes are so pretty that my heart ached as I sliced into them. T.T


Not sure if it's because Lady Luck decided to shine on me for my birthday, we got Osmanthus tea flavour for our jelly cakes too! This is definitely the prettiest, lowest calorie birthday cake I've ever had in my entire life.

Rose Apple Pie


After knowing that it's my birthday, Jasmin, the cafe owner, very generously prepared a "birthday pie" for me. Yet another too-pretty-to-eat dessert that made my heart ache while cutting into it. 
The ridiculous effort needed to handcraft a rose out of an apple pie aside, the flavour for this apple pie was a little too mild for my liking, and the pastry tasted a little too tough and dry. 



For more information, visit Wild Blooms Facebook Page / Instagram

Till then,
Mia Foo

Monday 22 October 2018

Leasany: My New Zealand Campervan Trip Made Easy!


Hey people, if you're following me on my IG, you should know that I've just returned from my New Zealand North Island trip with the BF. 

As we've decided on doing a campervan road trip, one main issue bugging my mind after booking Jucy Chaser to be our "home-on-wheels" for 9D8N was: how are we going to charge ALL our devices on just two electrical socket, one of which will probably be used for our portable heater? 


Well, I've heard of the Mogics Power Bagel, which is basically an universal adaptor that allows you to charge up to SEVEN devices AT THE SAME TIME. With just one handy-dandy, palm-sized bagel, you will get 2 usb ports, 4 universal sockets and 1 US socket. How cool is that! But of course, good things do not come cheap. And frankly speaking, I'm not that keen on spending that much on a gadget that's relatively new (in my social circle, hardly anyone has heard of it) and I do not have that much of an idea how it's going to work out. 

And then, I found Leasany!
Based on a concept of advocating sharing among travellers to-and-fro Singapore to rent their essential (but usually costly) gadgets and equipments instead of buying to own it, Leasany aims to help travellers like us to save up on our travel cost by providing our essential travel gadgets and equipment at low rental fees. 


Now, instead of spending up to $200 buying that Osmo Mobile 2 to take vlogs for your upcoming trip, and probably won't get to use it again until your next overseas trip, which jolly well might be next year, you can easily rent it from Leasany for as low as just $25! 

Leasany also has a 'Try before Buy' promotion, which is a product trial programme for travellers to test out a selection of interesting and new products, under their kickstarter category, during their trips, before making an actual purchase. 


And for the Mogics Power Bagel, which is under this kickstarter category, has a renting fees of $6 per day! That's very high, you'll say. But fret not, for all products under the kickstarter (try before buy) category will come with an individual discount coupon code (found under the product page) that gives you a whopping 90% discount for your FIRST rental of the product. That means your very first rental of the Mogics Power Bagel with Leasany will only cost you a mere 60 cents a day!

And yes, we were chilling with some chocolate twiggies during our transit, charging up our smartphones at Gold Coast airport. I love how the power bagel gives you not only the ease of charging up to seven devices with just one ONE power plug, but also gives you the convenience of an added distance of almost 1m (92cm cable + 83mm bagel diameter)  from the main plug's location. How cool is that!

Leasany is offering all you lovely readers a 20% discount off all rental service! Just enter promo code "mollymia" upon checkout, valid until 21st April 2019, not to be used in conjunction with other coupons. 

For more information on Leasany and the products and services they're currently offering, do check out their website HERE.

Till then,
Mia Foo


Monday 8 October 2018

What You Can Expect from the Best Florist Singapore

Now that the florist industry continues to grow and the florist improves its services, what do you expect from the best florist in Singapore as you look for a Flower shop Singapore to send on special day? When you choose a flower gift from Little Flower Hut, you may look for a special feature that will make your gift unique and extra stunning. More than that, here are some of the things you can expect only from the best florist:


·         Convenient and Effortless Online Flower Shopping
Online flower shopping is more convenient when you shop for beautiful hand bouquets and fresh flowers from the best online florist. You can buy the flowers that you want in just easy steps and few clicks of your mouse right at the comfort of your home or office. Everything that you want for your gift of flowers can be placed and ordered online with the online florist.




·         Swift and Quick Flower Delivery
The best florist guarantees that your hand bouquet will arrive on time. Whether you choose same day flowerdelivery or next day delivery of flowers, you can expect that the florist will deliver your flowers promptly and quickly. You can have flowers delivered to a loved one in Singapore on birthdays, anniversary, and special events. With the best florist taking charge of the florist delivery, you can rest assured that what you get is only the finest services and exceptional delivery of flowers day or night.

·         Cost-Effective Flowers
Another thing to expect from the best florist is the cheap and cost-effective prices of flowers. At reasonable prices and discounted deals, you can pick and buy the flower bouquets that you want for the people you love. Even the prices of the hampers and baskets of gifts are priced low and within the budget. You can send fresh flower bouquets along with the best gifts or treats for economical price.
With the florist’s network and connections, it is easier to get the best flowers from local and international farmers. Sending flowers to remote areas is also possible with the help of local florists operating locally in Singapore. All these and more are the reasons why Flower Delivery is an easy task. Your best florist  knows no limit when it comes to bringing joy and happiness to the recipients anywhere in Singapore through the gift of fresh flowers.


Saturday 6 October 2018

Thoughtful and Budget-Friendly Baby Hampers for Baby Showers

Now that your friend invited you to the baby shower, it’s time for you to look for Baby Hamper Singapore. Whether you are looking for something unique and charming or for something classic and lasting, the florist is here with hundreds of perfect Baby Gifts to choose from. On baby showers, why don’t you give something thoughtful but budget-friendly to convey your warm greetings and your thoughtfulness to the soon-to-be-parents? Here are some suggestions from the florist in Singapore:

·         Hamper delivery
Send a unique baby hamper delivery that is filled with thoughtful gifts and useful baby essentials like baby clothes, baby diapers, and baby feeding bottles. Hampers are budget-friendly, too. When you send newborn hamper on this special celebration of a new baby, you may also choose to give something that will pamper the parents, especially the new mom. Ask the florist on how to customize your hampers of gifts for the baby if you want to make your gift more personalized.
·         Basket delivery
A basket of baby gifts is an ideal gift for the baby. You can express your thoughtfulness and love through the gifts you select. Send them a special baby basket and delight them with wonderful gifts for the baby such as baby mittens, baby booties, pacifiers, bibs, and accessories for affordable price. There are varieties of items that you can choose to fill up a lovely basket designed and meant for baby showers.
·         Special boxes

You will also find different varieties of gifts arranged in boxes. There are boxes of baby clothes in set and in pairs, and there are toys, books, and baby accessories packed in boxes for babyshower gifts. If you are looking for ideal baby gifts to put in a cute box for your gifting purposes, you may want to consider the theme of the baby shower party or the gender of the baby or the list of gifts the parents ask for to help them provide supplies and essential items for the baby.
On a special celebration of baby shower party, do not forget to bring the best gifts for the precious little baby. There are plenty of choices when it comes to Baby Hamper, but if you want the thoughtful and budget-friendly gifts for the baby and parents, pick those which are not just cute and adorable but more useful for baby’s daily routine and care as well.


Tuesday 2 October 2018

Sample Store x Astalift: Saying Hello to Brighter Skin [Sponsored]

Very recently, I was really lucky to be able to attend an exclusive Sample Store Members' workshop held by Astalift at Pablo Cafe. 

This workshop is held by none other than Mr. Jason Wong himself, Astalift's regional trainer and winner of 2017 BABTAC & CIBTAC Awards. 

And of course, getting well-fed by Pablo Cafe is definitely the cherry on top of the cake.


If Astalift is still not that familiar to you, they're actually a skincare and cosmetic line of Fujifilm. Having started out as a photography engineering company in 1934, Fujifilm eventually ventured into the skincare industry while riding on their strong foundation in the collagen and anti-oxidation technology and created Astalift in 2007. And they didn't stop there, with constant research coupled with their strong engineering background, Fujifilm went on with their research in nano technology and light & colour controlling technology and finally launched their cosmetics line, Flarosso, in 2018. 

And as the workshop is basically to teach us a trick or two on how to get brighter looking skin, we were introduced to their skin brilliance recipe, the Astalift White. 


The Astalift White series basically builds upon 3 main factors, the 3-functional collagen, Nano Astaxanthin and Nano AMA+, and comes with 5 products, namely the clear treatment, bright lotion, white essence, white cream and white perfect UV clear solution.

A few interesting points to note is that the clear treatment not only helps to exfoliate dull skin, improves out skin absorption and evens out our skin tone, but also helps to eliminates black and white heads! Ideal for daily use, the product is meant to be pat into our skin and hence reducing chances of premature aging of our skin due to excessive tugging. 

Another product that really caught my attention was the white essence, which not only has anti-oxidation properties, encourages our skin's collagen production and controls excessive melanin production, but most importantly, diffuses dark spots. Unlike common whitening products that targets to fade existing dark spots, Astalift White Essence targets the "bone structure" of melanin and diffuses the dark spots by breaking down the structures containing melanin with the usage of Nano Oryzanol. Not only that, it also helps to weaken the signal for melanin production and suppressing excessive melanin production using Nano AMA+. 
Together, this duo nano whitening ingredient improves spot treatment efficacy by 10X!


Lastly, if a complete skincare regime is still not enough for you, Astalift also got your supplements covered!
The White Shield Drink is a non-caffeinated, low calorie and sugar-free formula. Containing 1000mg of the 1st extraction "purest collagen" along with 1200mg of Vitamon C, 4mg of Nano Astaxanthin and 100mg of N-Acetylclucosamine (NAG) , this beauty drink not only helps with internal cell-protection, skin brightening and pigmentation lightening, but also helps relieve constipation. 

For more information on Astalift and its wide range of products, visit their website at http://www.astalift.com.sg/

Till then,
Mia Foo