Stay updated with the best lobangs in town with LOBANGSIAH.SG

 Hey peeps, have you heard of Lobangsiah? 

Founded in 2013 by two buddies with their passion in sharing good lobangs (deals) with each other and their loved ones, Lobangsiah started off as a Facebook page that primarily shares Lobangs and Memes that Singaporeans enjoying seeing and laughing at. Moving to 7 years later, in 2020, they developed their vision to start a lifestyle-focused community as they love sharing local deals and lifestyle content. And that kickstarted an amazing website chock full of interesting deals and insights, and a series of their telegram groups that covers literally anything under the sun. 

From the latest trends/hypes in town, to the best lobangs on literally anything, to lifehacks and advices for your adulting woes, Lobangsiah got you covered. 

In short, lobangsiah.sg is simply your one-stop station for everything. 

And not only that, back then during the Covid pandemic when many of our local F&B businesses were having a hard time, Lobangsiah has, together with their partners, offered their platforms and resources to do voluntary sharing of promotional deals for the local F&B owners. They've also helped to spread awareness of various blessing groups and organisations offering help to those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic, helping them to pull through during the tough times. 

And did I mention about how many telegram channels they have (at least NINE!), to cover all sorts of lobangs?

Can't possible list them all here, but my top 3 recommendations will definitely be:

SG Lifehacks & Lobangs

Their main telegram channel with over 1.7k subscribers till date, sharing all sorts of lifehacks and lobangs you can find in our little sunny island.

SG Foodlover

Definitely the telegram channel you need to join if you're a foodie at heart! Get all your up-to-date cafe/food lobangs here! 

SG Pets Group

The telegram channel for all you fellow pawrents out there! Not just sharing everything pets related, Lobangsiah also helps pet owners to post lost pets poster for free. 

So, what are you waiting for? Go check them out for all your best lobangs right now!

Till then,

Mia Foo

Fresh Durian From The Mountains with Durian SG Prime [sponsored]

Fresh durians from the mountain, anyone?

 With a grand vision of "bringing durian's price in Singapore back to 1980" (WOW!), Durian SG Prime strives to be the cheapest durian provider in Singapore through a business model of direct collaboration with plantations.

Our business model works by bringing large quantities of durians to Singapore and securing the supply of our favourite durians from Pahang, by having leverage of large quantities to outbid other countries.

We need to have the leverage to negotiate and get plantation owners to only supply their limited durian stocks to us, Singaporeans. Ultimately, flooding Singapore’s market with fresh quality durians at affordable price for you and your family to enjoy

-durian.com.sg-

Through their direct collaboration with 3 mountains (Famous Tiger, Indigo Hill & Cold White Leaf) in Pahang, Malaysia, Durian SG Prime is able to bring to us freshly picked durians at extremely affordable prices, which are at least 20% cheaper than most reputable local durian sellers. 

And depending on seasonal supply, you can expect to find a variety of durians, ranging from the inexpensive Kampung Durian at $9/kg to the premium Black Gold Durian at $29/kg from all 3 different mountains. 

And I'm really glad to receive a box of Old Tree MSW from the Cold White Leaf Mountain and Black Gold from Famous Tiger Mountain for my family to enjoy! 

The family has nothing but praises for the durians. I'm not a durian-eater, but I reckon you can't go wrong with (Old Tree) Musang King and Black Gold, right? 

And while I, as a durian noob, thought that BG will be better received than OT (because more expensive means better, yes?), the family preferred OT instead, claiming that it is sweeter. The HB even said that it has a "alcoholic" aftertaste. 

Both variations are equally creamy and with ridiculously tiny seeds, such that you can be assured that you're really paying for what you get (to eat). However, it was also noted that the taste is not that consistent, which is probably because it usually take them 1 to 1.5 durians to make up 1 box's worth. So we might have gotten the flesh from 1 sweet durian and half of another less sweet one. 

Durian SG Prime not only offers islandwide delivery (free delivery with minimum purchase of $99!), but also has a brick & mortar shop at 456 Geylang Lorong 24A that offers a dine-in experience and to facilitate self collections. 

Moreover, they also offer free replacement of damaged/not up to standard durians for their delivery orders within 24 hours of receipt!

Oh, and did I say that they also have fruits other than durian available too? 

For more details, check out Durian SG Prime at their website HERE or just pop by their store at 456 Geylang Lorong 24A!

Till then,

Mia Foo

Healthy and Beautiful Skin with MEDICODE

 Hi lovely readers, it has been quite a while since my last update here. Well, can I say that I'm glad to be back! 

Life has been super busy these days, hence my disappearance here... And if you are following me on my IG you would know that I'm also a lot less active recently... because #adulting. T.T

Anyway, this time I'm back because I absolutely need to share my latest beauty find with y'all. 

MEDICODE!

MEDICODE seek to revolutionise the way we treat and care for our skin. They see the future of skincare as being interlinked with the development of modern technologies and treatments that enable key ingredients to penetrate deep into the epidermal layer of the skin. All products are made in Singapore (yay!) and backed by clinical research and development. Their airless bottle design helps to maintain the active ingredients' integrity and allows the formula to be free from unnecessary preservative, ensuring maximum efficacy of their products. 

-credits to medicode-skincare.com-

Currently with 6 products available in their line, I've decided to try out these 4: 

Comedones Essence, Ultra Hydrating Serum, Oil-Free Hydra Cream annd Intensive Rich Eye Cream

Comedones Essence - $150

A natural formulation with over 10 botanical extracts, anti-bacterial complex and nano-encapsulation technology to help reduce the appearance of our pores, blackheads and whiteheads. 

I NEED.

This essence is super lightweight and watery in texture, that literally gets absorbed by the skin immediately. Definitely a plus point when you're short of time for your daily morning skincare routine, yes? Who has got the time to wait for your essence to "set" before layering on the serum/moisturiser? Definitely not me! 

Ultra Hydrating Serum (30ml) - $130

Available in 30ml or 60ml, this ultra hydrating and anti-aging serum is able to penetrate deep into our skin. Based on smart-delivery nano technology, the active ingredients in the serum is highly compatible to our skin's natural composition. Not only that, this serum helps reflect UVA rays and protect our skin too! 

Just slightly more viscous as compared to the essence, this serum is still super lightweight and spreadable, gliding onto my skin effortlessly and gets absorbed readily in no time. 

Oil-Free Hydra Cream - $120

A calming and anti-inflammatory oil-free cream, this product has a unique lightweight formula that provides the skin with deep hydration. It contains 4 types of Hyaluronic acid and Polygutamic acid, which is then further enhanced with Ceramides, Collagen and Ice Plant Fermented Probiotic Lysate, giving us skin barrier repair and protection. 

Being an oily-skin girl, I always shun away from facial creams in general. But this oil-free formulation feels very lightweight and spreadable on my skin, leaving no sticky or oily feeling after the product gets absorbed. Two thumbs up! 

Intensive Rich Eye Cream - $150

Containing a high level of antioxidants, this helps to improve dark circles, brighten up skin tone and prevent collagen degradation. And thanks to the innovative gold-stabilisation process, the Vitamin C absorbs more effectively into our skin. 

Containing Beautieye as one of the active ingredients, which is clinically proven to decrease 61% of drooping surface of our upper eyelids, this eye cream helps to target our sagging upper eyelids and beautify our eye contour. 

With a similar creamy-yet-not-oily texture as the Hydra Cream, a little goes a long way for this eye cream. Just a pea-size is more than enough to get my eye contour area well moisturised throughout the day/night. 

For more information on Medicode Skincare, check out their website HERE

Till then,

Mia

Yummy Cakes with Dig In Cakes [Sponsored]

Holding a surprise birthday party but missing the cake? Or are you just like me, who would very much prefer to have your cake delivered to your doorsteps? 

Taking the bus with an 8 inch whole cake in my hands, no thanks! 

Be glad to know that Dig In Cakes has got you covered!

Not only are their cakes reasonably priced and look absolutely beautiful, they're also freshly baked with the finest ingredients and even offer same day islandwide delivery, even an express one-hour delivery and midnight delivery! 

Last minute whole cake for a midnight birthday surprise, CHECKED! 

And after wrecking my brain over the huge selection of cakes they have, I finally decided to try out their 6" Blueberry Elderflower Cake! 

A unique combination of elderflower and blueberry, perfect for those who enjoy a light, floral flavour.

A decent amount of not-too-sweet blueberry jam layered in between fluffy vanilla sponge cake that's a tad dry, and then slathered in an unbelievably thick layer of cream, which I reckon to be Elderflower infused but so subtly that I didn't really taste any hint of it. 

As you can see from the cut section, I really wasn't exaggerating when I said that the cream layer is overly thick. While I guess it's serves to complement the slightly dryness of the sponge cake, it also created a lot of heaviness and just make the cake too cloying and oily for my own preference. 

I ended up needing to scrap away most of the cream and only eating the sponge cake and blueberry jam in the middle. 

Well, if you're a huge fan of eating sweeten cream on its own, I guess this would be your jam.  

Can't deny that the cake looks super pretty though!

I've previously tried their Yuzu Osmanthus Cake (I guess you can tell my cake preferences) and it was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, I have to say that this Blueberry Elderflower, albeit looking a lot prettier, didn't meet my expectation. I guess the Yuzu Osmanthus has set the bar a little too high, even my parents and my grandma loved that cake. 

And with Mother's Day coming up next month, Dig In Cakes also have some pocket-friendly cake and flower bundle for y'all to surprise your Moms! 

For more information on their cakes and bundle section, check out their store website HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

[Guest Post] Incorporating Learning Objectives Into Games

 Over so many years in teaching, I have tried and tested different teaching strategies. One of the strategies I found to be immensely useful is to incorporate learning objectives into teaching.
Whether it is Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, or Physics, harnessing the appeal of popular games helps students to appreciate, understand and remember the concepts better.
The game characters, personality, abilities, and context in which they are being employed in conjunction with the lesson materials can serve as excellent attention and memory anchors for students.

You see, the most common complaint raised by students is that they do not see the point of learning certain topics, especially since they are not using them immediately or in the future.
While educators can explain how they are being used in real-life applications, not all students can accept them. For example, we could explain how solving minima and maxima optimization questions in differentiation is commonly seen in supply chain management. Or you explain why there is a need for them to understand pressure calculations which are needed to know how to transport gallons of crude oil through a complex network of pipelines with different diameters and elevations.

While the attempt is commendable, students may still not see the immediate use for it.

“I understand where you are coming from, but I can’t appreciate it,” they would tell you.

It’s akin to telling drug users not to consume drugs now, since they do not appreciate the gravity of their actions until many years later.
A more effective way may be to weave in learning objectives and contextualize them into the games students play. Most students are very willing to help their favorite game characters who are in a bind, even if it involves solving a mathematical equation. To a gamer, it is super exciting to discover that only the role-playing character possesses the special skill sets necessary to solve that particular Physics question.

Maybe he can control gravity? 
Or he could levitate.
Students appreciate the tiny details and that Wow factor!

A few very simple examples can be seen here, I found having such scenarios immensely useful in capturing the students’ attention, and they are also able to retain their memory for a longer period, as well as to recall them easily. However, it is important to do research well to know what the game entails. Ideally, an educator should play the game himself or risk losing credibility.

Using Genshin Impact to Teach H2 Math AP GP Sequences and Series Games have penetrated every aspect of our society on top of education. We can see examples of games being employed in health care education, higher education, training in business, military training.

Militaries use them for training exercises, with the use of smartphones to apply their principles to track fitness. Many of the sectors have adopted games, simulations, or gamification as a means to achieve training or learning goals or simply to attain improvement. Remixing games is also a powerful activity where tools are creatively repurposed to meet the needs of users in specific contexts.

In this case, the intent was to help students understand a game and then to engage the students by thinking of ways to modify one or more mechanics to incorporate lesson objectives so that the game could find an enhanced purpose, a new audience, a new level of complexity, or a new educational outcome. This design experience offers many insights to students from the perspective of playing the original game and making a remixed game with added benefits

Yes, it may not be Singapore Math but it works for my students.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if the cat is black, or white.

Ingel Soong is an educator and has taught multi-disciplinary subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Finance, Economics, Statistics, and more. 
See his profile here.