xoxojeneen

AXS e-station, AXS m-station, AXS machine, bills, fines, payments

Pay your monthly bills online…Finally!!

October 2, 2013October 21, 2017by xoxojeneenLeave a Comment

For the longest time, I’ve always wished I could pay all my monthly bills online and always wondered why nobody came up with this such an online facility when i-banking is available. I’m really bad with bill payment due dates and always only remember at the last minute that I’ve got a bill due on the day when it’s close to midnight – too late for me to head to any AXS machines outside. Having slapped with late bill payments one too many times, I’m so happy that I can finally pay my bill online!!

My many bills to pay every month ranging from phone bills, credit cards to electricity bills.

F I N A L L Y! AXS recently introduced the e-Station and m-Station. We can now pay our bills online (e-Station) or on our phones through the m-Station app. I just paid my electricity bill a couple of days ago via e-Station, and it was such a breeze to use. No hiccups, no troublesome procedures…it was literally enter your bill account number, and pay with the i-banking pin. Absolutely painless, so so convenient and easy. Major happiness!

This is how you make payment on the e-Station. 3 easy steps:

1. Select Payment Category on the left panel, follow with the Billing Organization.

2. Key in bill account information and amount. You can add up to 20 bills/fines in a single transaction.

3. Confirm to make the payment. Make payment via eNETS. (available for internet banking users of DBS/POSB, OCBC, UOB and Citibank.

Here’s the link to e-Station to start making your payments: http://www.axs.com.sg/axsEstation.php

My preferred of the two, here’s an introduction of the m-Station.

The following features are available on the m-Station:

– Bills and Fines payments

– Passcode Creation/Change/Removal

– Email Address Creation/Change/Removal

Here’s how the app icon looks. You can download it on your mobile or tablet.

Once again, it’s very easy to make payments through the app. Just follow the on-screen instructions!

1. There are 2 ways to make payment: Through ‘Pay Bills’, or ‘My Payments>My Favourites’.

Bill information is automatically added to ‘My Favourites’ upon first successful payment.

2. Select the category and follow with billing organization.

3. Enter/Retrieve your bill account information and enter payment amount. Select ‘Add Bills’ at the bottom panel or ‘Confirm’ at the top panel to continue when you’ve completed adding all your bills. You can pay up to 5 bills in a transaction.

4. Select ‘Pay Now’ at the top panel to proceed with payment.

5. Enter i-banking pin and select ‘OK’ to proceed….and you’re done!

If you’ll like to receive an e-Receipt of your successful transaction, enter your email address in the field provided and it will be sent to you.

A super convenient (and my favourite!) feature, you can create a passcode to securely save your bills details and payment records in your personal device so you don’t have to re-enter them everytime you want to pay a bill. Once created, the passcode is required to access the bills information. Likewise, if you choose to remove the passcode, all the saved bills and payment records are removed from your device.

Select this icon.

Toggle passcode function to ‘ON’.

Enter your passcode.

Or, toggle passcode function to ‘OFF’ when you decide not to have this save bill details feature.

I save so much time and hassle every month now that I don’t have to physically go to an AXS machine to make payment. The e-Station and m-Station is so super convenient, I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to use it. Go download the app on your phone or tablet now!!

exercise, gym

What Exercise Taught Me

September 24, 2013October 21, 2017by xoxojeneenLeave a Comment

I have reached the end of the road with my 3 month gym/personal trainer sponsorship with Amore Fitness. As the cliche goes that all good things come to an end, this is one good ‘thing’ that I am going to miss very very much. From being someone who hardly exercised to one who looked forward to her gym and personal training sessions…so much has changed in 3 months. Not only have I achieved a much toner, leaner and hotter (heh!) body, I feel so much more energised everyday; which means that I can do so much more in a day, I sleep a lot better at night; I used to suffer insomnia on many nights, and here’s my most important take home lesson from my trainings:

So many times during a 5km run or when I’m halfway through 150 crunches did I want to give up. ‘My body’s exhausted’, I always thought. I forced and repeated this ‘mind over matter’ mantra in my head over and over, and every single time, I pulled through and completed what I set out to do. My body didn’t collapse on me and it always felt so amazing that I didn’t give up. I’m going to throw another cliche: ‘There’s almost nothing you can’t accomplish, if you set your mind to it.’ I can’t agree to this more! Thank you Amore Fitness for toughening me in so many ways. Now I just have to stick this reminder note some place I see everyday:

Here are some pictures of me, mostly looking terrible at the gym. It’s almost impossible to look nice when you’re exercising! Haha.

Crunches on my favourite bosu ball. Go abs!

This is the what I call the ‘free space’ area where you can work with weights, on the mat, ab ball, etc.

The equipment area.

I finally know how to work with gym equipments on my own now. Yay!

This apparently, is quite a challenging work-out. I feel almost like super woman doing this exercise. I could barely manage even 1 push up when I first started out my training sessions!

My personal trainer, Nani. She’s god-sent!

If you read my previous Amore post, you’ll know that I chart my weight and muscle/fat mass every month on their weight and body composition diagnostics machine I am so happy that my skeletal muscular mass has increased by 0.6kg this month to 19.7kg. My body fat mass, although is not decreasing as quickly has reduced by 0.3kg. I’m making progress! In 3 months, my skeletal muscular mass has increased by 2.4kg. Hello, a more muscular, toner and stronger me! 🙂

And here’s an amazing Amore promotion!

For just $88, you get:

· 2 Weeks Unlimited Fitness Pass (worth $94.16)

· Botaroma Swedish Massage (45 mins, worth $94.16)

· Body Composition Analysis (worth $21.40)

· AWDO Entry Pass (worth up to $40)

This is valid for first time female customers above 16 years old only until 13 October 2013.

For more information, www.amorewomensdayout.com

Here’s a giveaway just for my readers!

Amore has 2 x $88 AWDO deals to giveaway.

To participate, answer this simple question:

Name any 5 signature classes from Amore Fitness.

Email your answer with your name, email address and home address to:

contest@gushcloud.com

Contest ends 30 September. Good luck!!

-xoxo-

car review, cars, ford kuga

Zipping Around In The All New Ford Kuga

September 17, 2013October 21, 2017by xoxojeneenLeave a Comment

Lucky, lucky me. I had the luxury of test-driving the soon-to-be-released all new Ford Kuga for the weekend and boy, did I have so much fun with the car. For starters, the car being an SUV gave me that added feeling of power and control already just from being slightly elevated and higher than everyone else on the road. The sleek and handsome exterior definitely didn’t hurt in helping me feel like one of the best-lookers cruising around. Plus, being almost always the first to go when the lights turned green (it has awesome pick-up speed!) definitely gave that added boost and had me feeling like I was the king of the road.

Here’s the Kuga, looking very ruggard, handsome and sporty.

It was mostly raining really heavily the weekend I had the car and I drove it in really heavy rains with low visibility. Through it all, the car felt really stable and handled really well on wet roads. I wasn’t even going at a snail’s pace…I was suitably impressed. It must have been the intelligent all-wheel drive system and torque vectoring control that gave the car so much stability and control. I’ve not felt quite this safe driving in such wet conditions.

The interior is spacious with ample amount of leg room for the front and rear passengers. The rear seat backs also recline over a 10-degree range, allowing the rear seat passengers to set their seat back to the exact position they want, making their ride in the car super comfortable. I took this picture from the sun roof right above. I’ve always liked cars with sun roofs. It makes the driving experience that much more enjoyable with the bit from the outdoors.

Here’s on to some of the super fun features of the car. This is my absolute favourite. The boot opens and closes with a motion activated sensor! Here’s my ‘lil video to show off the feature.

//www.youtube.com/get_player

It’s so perfect for when you’re holding a million things in your hand. The luggage compartment also offers 46-litres more luggage compartment-space than the current Kuga model and the rear seats fold flat in one movement so it’s easy to maneuver and free up space when you need it.

Besides this awesome feature, the Ford Kuga also has a keyless technology (watch another of my video below) and tons of other fun and smart features like the Ford SYNC connectivity that lets you control calls and music hands-free. It was really easy to sync my phone to the system. All I had to do was to turn on my blue-tooth. I was so happy that it could play music from my iPhone with this sync.

It also has an adaptive cruise control and forward alert safety features that help you maintain a preset gap between you and the vehicle ahead. If the vehicle in front slows down, the system decelerates, vice versa. You can also set and maintain the cruising speed for safer long distance driving and improved fuel efficiently. What a clever car!

You know what’s most awesome above all? The auto park assist feature! It helps me parallel park!!! For those who know me well enough, parallel parking is my achilles heel. I just can’t get it. Period. I usually avoid parallel parking like the plague, or have someone park my car when I have no other parking choices. So this super feature helps me parallel park without me having to even turn the wheels. All I had to do was activate this switch and it did the job perfectly!!! The Ford Kuga with the auto park assist and me is like a match made in heaven. It was complete bliss driving the car around.

Here’s where the park assist button is and the screen that displays the sync function.

Some other smart features are the automatic dimming rear view mirror – you know how you get almost blinded sometimes when the lights of the car behind you is super bright? This mirror helps dim ultra bright lights so you don’t get dazzled by those super crazy bright headlights!

Ambient light with multi-coloured LEDs. Below are just a few of the many different LED light changes you can choose from. Very pretty!

//www.youtube.com/get_player

Here’s a short video of me and the Kuga.

This car’s got swag.

With a tinge of sadness, I returned the car when the weekend was over. I told the sales manager over the phone that I was going to run away with it! The stability and smart features made it such a fun car to have and a breeze to drive. I mean, what more could you ask for in a car? Sleek ergonomic design, fuel efficiency, outstanding safety (more than 5,000 virtual and real-world crash tests were done), smart and fun features to keep you entertained whilst you’re on the roads, good pick-up speed so you can cut and switch lanes quickly, spacious interior…I’m definitely going to recommend the Ford Kuga to anyone who’s thinking of getting a car!

brazilian wax, strip ministry of waxing

My Strip-a-licious B-Waxing Experience at Strip

September 4, 2013October 21, 2017by xoxojeneenLeave a Comment

Whenever I think of Strip, I think of witty, quirky ads and copy. I love their cheeky humour. I mean, with a name like Strip: Ministry of Waxing? And who can forget this tongue-in-cheek ad visual below?

Strip’s mission is to help girls get comfortable with the idea of waxing and hair removal, and to take the embarrassment factor out. I went for my first brazilian wax with them a couple of days ago (it’s not my first time doing brazilian wax, but it’s my first time with Strip) and after the session, I seriously wondered why I never went to them any earlier.

The biggest drawback for me when it comes to b-waxing is the ouch-factor. Seriously bracing myself for pain before the session, I was slightly awestruck to come out after the session unscathed. It was a lot less painful than I expected! If I were to rate it on a pain scale of 10, I would rate it a max of 6. For those who have done b-waxing, I’m sure a rating of 6/10 is nothing short of super amazing.

The b-waxing session that I went for is called, Strip-a-licious Sundae. After years of pruning bushes down under, Strip has come up with the perfect formula for the best waxing experience ever. Strip-a-licious Sundae is made up of Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla in one smooth sweet serve. Doesn’t this sound so super yummy?

Strawberry

Developed specially for first time Brazilian virgins, Strip’s strawberry wax packs the healing powers of Chamomile and Aloe Vera to calm and soothe even the most tender skin. Especially creamy and easy to apply, it removes hair with minimal discomfort and leaves skin enveloped in a comforting strawberry scent.

Chocolate

Formulated with Titanium Dioxide, Strip’s Chocolate Berry Wax is super efficient, removing even the shortest and most stubborn hair with gentle ease to leave skin completely smooth and fuzz-free.

Vanilla

The perfect topping, Strip’s very own Ice Cream has been specially formulated to comfort and calm skin, making it an excellent after-care product for post-Brazilian skin. Menthyl Lactate, a deritive of menthol, cools and soothes skin, while Ice Cream’s moisturizing properties also help to hydrate and soften skin simultaneously. Just a light application immediately relives and revitalizes.

I was given a Strip and b-wax 101 with Strip’s ‘Virgin Forest Rescue Book’ when I first got there.

These are individual packs of waxing equipment. Strip practices the ‘No Double Dipping’ commandment. This is so important for hygiene!!

Before I started my session, I was given 7 drops of Bach Flower Essence to calm and cast out any negative emotions.

They even have squeezy toys for you to squeeze the pain away!

The room.

There’s the squeezy toy and a visual of the Strip-a-licious sundae on the pillow in the room.

Me with the squeezy!

More quirky ads in the room.

Words of bush wisdom on tee-shirts.

The entire b-waxing session was super fast – 30 mins tops. My therapist, Eva was very professional and my whole b-waxing experience at Strip was very comfortable, even relaxing I might say(!) and as I mentioned above, almost ouch-free.

This is Ice Cream, the ‘perfect topping’ cream for b-waxing after care. Even their creams sound and look yummy!

With my therapist, Eva (in purple apron) who worked on me and the girls from Strip, Mandarin Gallery.

Take a picture of this Strip-a-licious sundae at any of the Strip outlets, post it on Instagram and tag @stripsg, flash it to the counter and get a $10 voucher!

Promotion!

Indulge in a serving of Strip’s Ultimate Brazilian Wax Combo at $25 (U.P. $62) by purchasing a voucher here!

Apply promo code ‘JeneenG’ during check out and get additional 10% off!

ho chi minh recommendations, holiday, recommendations

Ho Chi Minh Adventures

August 17, 2013October 21, 2017by xoxojeneenLeave a Comment

I went to Ho Chi Minh for a very short break with a few girlfriends over the long National Day weekend. Being last minute as always, we were left only with flights to Ho Chi Minh, Manila and Jakarta for that weekend. Ho Chi Minh got the most votes, so we packed our bags and flew over for a short 3D2N stay.

We got a suite at Nikko Hotel Saigon that fit us 4 perfectly – it was like a major slumber party sleepover.

Here’s us at the entrance of the hotel. The interior of the hotel was very ‘Japanese styled’, with muted cream/nude colour schemes and clean furnishings. I’m not the biggest fan of such interior design, but it had an overall calming effect. Very apt for a super chill holiday.

We really didn’t do very much. All we did was eat, massage, wash hair (very random I know) and shop at 1 mall. No sight-seeing since we’ve all been to HCM. Oh, we did go to the supermarket to stock up on snacks – lots and lots of it…because everything is so cheap.

Here are some recommendations:

Co-Op Supermarket

168 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Dist 3 HCMC

We went to the Co-Op Supermarket (opened by NTUC Fair Price) and stocked up most on Nescafe 3-in-1 Cafe Viet. Another friend tasked us to buy it for her and of course, we had to get so many for ourselves too. I must say it’s delicious! Now I wish I had bought more.

These Jackfruit Chips are super yummy. The Banana Chips from the same brand is good too.

Vincom Center

70 – 72 Le Thanh Ton | District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This show was taken at Vincom Centre – the only mall we visited where Chanel, Hermes and a couple of other brands are housed. There’s also an Emporio Armani cafe nearby.

The architecture of the building is gorgeous. This area is very quaint. Definitely worth a visit.

Pho Hung

241-3 Nguyen Trai St | 10 Nguyen Thi Nghia, Q.1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Pho at this place is super yummy. This bowl is the chef’s recommendation, named Special Pho Hung. When in doubt, always go for the chef’s recommendation.

The drip coffee there…not so happening though. Maybe I’m just not a fan of drip coffee. It’s super super sweet.

Pho Hung’s menu – check out the english/mandarin translations, especially the mandarin in #4. I laughed till my sides split and tears were rolling down my face.

Miu Miu2 Spa

4 Chu Manh Trinh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The prices were super cheap, service was good and interior was nice. We went there 2 days in a row for foot and body massages.

Tokyo BBQ

We stumbled upon the best Japanese restaurant around the corner of the spa. The bbq beef was fantastic, salmon fresh and the kimchi stew was really good. We ordered seconds of everything.

We had seafood and went to a couple more eateries but the food were all not rave-worthy, so this is all I have for you guys.

Before heading out for the night. The hair is nicely in place because we went to get our hair washed and blown after the spa massage. Being so used to Salon Vim’s pampering and hair wash techniques, I’m not sure if I’ll have another wash should I go back to HCM again. The hairstylist was basically using her long nails to scratch at my scalp throughout the wash and it was just plain, ouch.