MoneyDigest - Personal Finance, Lifestyle, Money Saving Tips

Singapore’s first luxury confinement centre has opened with packages from S$12,000

The birth experience is beautiful and miraculous for many mothers, their babies, and families. However, it is also a profoundly exhausting and even medically traumatising journey.

After giving birth, many mothers need extended rest, recovery, and healing to recuperate from the delivery and begin to adjust to a new life together with their newborns.

This is where confinement centres come in handy because they can create a holistic and full-service experience for both the mother and baby.

Have you heard of KAI Singapore? KAI Singapore is Singapore’s first luxury confinement centre that’s specifically designed to heal and help a new family in every way possible.

Kevin Kwee, executive director of Laguna National Golf and Country Club, is the co-founder of KAI Singapore. He shared that it is common for new mums in Taiwan, South Korea, and China to recuperate in residential confinement centres in an interview.

“After 18 months of market research, and finding many such places more clinical than comfortable, I thought I’d improve on the concept by co-founding KAI Singapore. Singapore’s ready for it; I already have local and foreign friends asking to reserve spots,” he added.

The Kai Experience

The centre provides a bespoke embrace to the concept of Japanese hospitality, also known as omotenashi. Kai symbolises restoration and recovery, the two most important factors for a new mother’s health and wellness.

They have a full spectrum of maternity care for families, from prenatal and nutrition advice to postnatal food, and body rejuvenation. The complete guidance is all done in an indulgent environment that rehabilitates every member of the family.

Location

At KAI Singapore, every mother and child receives their suite in a hotel-like facility, one that’s both private and inviting while still being centrally located to town.

Have we not mentioned that they are located at 26 Dunearn Road? You will find yourself a less than 10-minute drive to Orchard from the confinement centre.

Not to mention the list of hospitals within a 3km radius:

1.8km from Thomson Medical (3-minute drive)
2km from Novena Mount Elizabeth Hospital (4-minute drive)
2km from Orchard Mount Elizabeth Hospital (6-minute drive)
4.1km Mount Alvernia Hospital (7-minute drive)
2.8km from Gleneagles Hospital (8-minute drive)

Facilities & Services

Private mothers’ lounge

Mothers will be thrilled to know that there’s a private mothers’ lounge that allows mothers to rest and socialise while their babies are asleep in a nursery offering camera surveillance. Stay connected to your child at all times by viewing them through a mobile app.

Integrated wellness haven

KAI Singapore is the first in Singapore to take the confinement experience and add luxury and elegance to it. You get to access a spa, salon, and aesthetics clinic during your stay!

Take advantage of the complimentary daily warm herbal baths and weekly breast massages to promote postnatal healing.

Their Kai Spa also has a range of facial treatments and therapy sessions for you to be pampered:

Age repair facial or essential rose facial
Prenatal massage using both Malay and Swedish techniques
Breast lactation massage to remove soreness and boost milk production
Head & shoulder massage which uses essential oils to soothe the tension away
Jamu massage & bengkung wrap to restore the abdomen to its original state

There’s also a relaxation lounge for mummies to get their pretty manicures and pedicures done!

24-hour professional care

As valued guests of KAI Singapore, you will be taken care of by a 24-hour expert care team. These are highly trained and supervised medical staff so you will be assured the best attention. There is also in-room dining, housekeeping, security, and concierge services.

Nourishing foods crafted by chefs & nutritionists

Your daily meals are catered by a state of the art kitchen that uses fresh, local ingredients and traditional cooking. The menu tailors to the individual recovery needs and requirements of the mother.

Using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles of 一休二排三调四健养 (the process of healing, detoxification, restoration and nourishment), you can expect pure, natural, and wholesome foods with no added MSG or artificial additives.

Kai Cuisine is also all about using the best, natural herbs such as black dates, and sulphur-free ‘dang gui’ or angelica root. They even make their sauces, seasonings, and condiments from scratch in controlled batches in-house.

Every top-notch service is designed with Asian cultural values and heritage in mind, treating childbirth as a richly time-honoured tradition that provides rest and critical bonding time between mother and baby.

Package Prices

The standard package at KAI Singapore begins at S$12,000.

It comes with an extensive three-month prenatal program that teaches valuable mothering skills and wellness techniques, a seven-day stay after the baby is born, and a three-month postpartum program that helps mothers adjust to life with their new baby.

Guests can alter their stay-in periods and use the KAI Singapore’ intensive recuperation program for as long as their budget allows.

Final Thoughts

KAI Singapore is an innovation in luxury maternity management that provides top-tier services that address both mother and baby care components. There’s no better place to do it than at KAI Singapore for mothers who are preparing to welcome their new infant.

For more information, please head to kaisuites.com.sg.

Last chance to get your bouquets with a twist from S$29.90 for Valentine’s Day 2021

Valentine’s Day is just a week away! If you haven’t gotten your flowers ordered, do it now before it’s too late. Guys getting flowers for girls are so yesterday. That’s because anyone can get these unique bouquets for their significant other. Or why not surprise a cherished family member this year?

Here are some bouquets with a twist that caught our attention.

#1: Preserved Flower Bouquet – Mini Bunny Love

Sale Price: S$29.90

Usual Price: S$39.90

Flowers don’t last, they say, but this adorable bunny bouquet does! Get your dainty preserved flower bouquet with the ever-popular real cotton flower, which will last indefinitely and remind bae of your love for him/her. Take your pick between blue or pink. You may be interested in the Everlasting Flower Bouquet (S$29) too!

#2: Cotton Candy Bouquet Series

Price: from S$38

Cotton Dreams has a Cotton Candy Bouquet Series with prices ranging from S$38 to S$238. The one featured above is the most pocket-friendly version at S$38. You can opt for pink strawberry or an original flavour. The brand also has a special oreo crunchy bites with grey cotton candy arrangement (S$68) for the gentleman who loves monochrome.

#3: Eternal Love Money Bouquet – 18 Stalks

Sale Price: S$58

Usual Price: S$79

This is a lavish-looking cash flower bouquet coupled with fresh baby’s breath. It’s lovingly handcrafted and arranged with pastel pink, and gold border rice paper wraps with purple ribbon. Money Flower has more options starting from S$48. Click here to view their collection.

*Please note that delivery for 14 February has closed. Contact them for delivery from 15 February if your sweetheart doesn’t mind receiving it later. If he/she cares, try your shot at Floral Garage’s practical cash bouquet (S$57).

#4: Chocolate Bouquet

Price: S$60

Indulge your loved ones with a bouquet combination of Kinder Bueno, Kit Kat Chunky, fresh roses, and baby’s breath. You may even complete the lovely gift by personalising it with special add-ons.

Those thinking of getting an extremely practical bouquet for parents or grandparents should give Magical Bloom’s Season’s Harvest (S$68) a go. It’s so fresh we had to show it to you:

#5: Fluffy Potpourri Posy

Price: S$68

Furry cotton plants and dried wild florals in lilac packaging will serve as an eternal gift to brighten up his/her days ahead. Do avoid exposure to excessive humidity and sunshine to preserve its state. Petals Artistry is one of the few florists that’s accepting Valentine’s Day orders till 9 February. View their Valentine’s Day collection here and place an order soon.

#6: Dried Roses with LED light

Price: S$75

We will round up our list with Well Live Florist’s bouquet of dried roses, filler flowers, and foliage with LED light. It’s the most expensive bunch of the ones we’ve seen thus far in this article, but hey, it’s only once a year. This one’s great for the gram’ too!

Last chance to order, ladies and gentlemen. Get it before you regret it.

Employ SEO and SEM to rake in more revenue for your business

If you’re involved in the business field, there’s a likelihood you’ve heard of SEO and SEM. These terminologies are commonly tossed around, but what do they mean exactly? Is there a difference between the two?

Although the distinction can be minimal, if you understand how to execute them effectively and correctly, they can lead the organisation to extremely high traffic and growth.

Let’s look at the difference between SEO and SEM and how they can be game-changers for your company. Ready for results? Let’s plunge into this integral part of marketing for your business.

An overview before we begin

Image Credits: Inc. Magazine

The average person will most definitely click on the top few links in a typical search on Google, right?

That’s why the first page on Google search is where you want your website to appear. These days, human attention is short, and it’s essential to be the first few to grab your target customers’ attention before your rivals do. Here’s where SEO and SEM come to play.

They’re ways to promote the company so that your potential customers can access them on search engines, such as Google or Bing. If your company has a website rival, SEO and SEM are essential for more traffic to be guided to your domain.

Let’s explore their primary purposes to grasp these promotional tools better.

SEO otherwise referred to as search engine optimisation, is a concept that lets you organically appear in search results. While SEM, known as search engine marketing, depends on paid strategies to get you ranked on search engines.

Here’s a more insightful look into both approaches.

The four parts of SEO

Technical SEO – This focuses on improving your website’s technical aspects and constructing it to provide a fantastic user experience. It’s also part of on-page SEO.
On-page SEO – Involves tweaking the web pages themselves so that search engines can understand your title tags, content, internal links, and URLs.
Content SEO – Your content needs to match what the searcher intends to find. This is one of Google’s most important factors for its rankings. Consider these: keyword strategy, site structure, and copywriting.
Off-page SEO – Connect your website to other trustworthy and high-authority webpages through hyperlinks, PR, or different strategies, and the search engines will push you up the ranks over time.

Now, moving on to SEM.

SEM and PPC

SEM includes PPC ads instead of organic growth. PPC is also better known as pay-per-click. In the form of embedded advertisements, Google or other search engines can showcase your website and display them to your prospective customers.

Not all campaigns, however, are expected to yield results. To make your advertising stand out so that you get the best bang for your buck, you will have to see what your rivals are doing and choose your keywords wisely.

SEO vs SEM

Image Credits: Matchcraft

With every click your SEM ad gets, you have to pay.
In the form of clicks, SEM usually has immediate effects, while SEO takes much longer.
SEM advertisements give you more control over how they appear. This doesn’t apply much for SEO.
SEM provides you with data specifics so that you can quickly tweak your advertising for instant results. When it comes to SEO, that’s a bit more challenging.
Over time, SEO visibility expands, so the impact snowballs as you progress. With SEM, exposure comes to a halt as soon as you disable your advertisements.

Is one better than the other?

There is no straightforward answer as it falls on how your organisation is structured and what priorities you have at hand. But here are a few pointers to note:

What is your objective? You want to go for SEM if it’s a short-term one.
How is your current SEO health? SEM can be a great backer if it is already substantial.
Go with SEM if you expect that your company would have a higher consumer lifetime value. SEO could be ideal if it’s the opposite.
Did you have your sales and profits assessed? See if making a profit from SEM is practical for you. Go with SEO if it’s not urgent.

When it comes to driving traffic, either SEO or SEM is useful for your company. But why not use both? Most of the time, having the financial capacity to combine them will allow you to reap the benefits of both.

Here are some of the benefits of implementing both strategies:

Do you recall how we mentioned data was available only for SEM but not for SEO? Well, now you can use SEM as a tester for your SEO strategy.
Through incorporating remarketing strategies within your SEM plan, you will make your SEO efforts go the distance to convert those who didn’t buy before into paying customers in the future.

Final thoughts

Now that you know what SEO and SEM are all about, you can use your new-found insights to refine your competition strategy and make the best of both worlds to conquer the organic and paid regions. All the best in ranking your company site at the top of search engines!

Is Regifting Okay?

The practice of gift recycling or re-purposing gifts is often considered as taboo. While we all have given gifts to our loved ones and friends in several occasions, finding the right gift is extremely hard. There are many factors such as the time spent on travel, queues in the malls, and overwhelming options. It comes as no surprise that Singaporeans will opt for alternatives to the gift giving process such as giving personalized items.

It is probably safe to assume that we all, at some point, have regifted something. I will not blame you if you deny it. It is typical to feel a sense of guilt when passing along an item that was picked out just for you. A gift is something special and you do not want the giver to feel that his or her efforts were put to waste.

However, regifting is acceptable. The rising popularity of sustainable goods has welcomed the process of regifting. Why toss something that may be cherished by someone else? It is alright to regift as long as you follow certain guidelines.

#1: AVOID RECYCLING GIFTS WITHIN THE SAME CIRCLE

As obvious as this may sound, you must not regift to someone who interacts with the original giver. You will be caught in an uncomfortable situation if you give your co-worker’s present to your boss. Keep in mind that some of your social circles may overlap.

#2: REGIFT ITEMS IN PERFECT CONDITION

When re-purposing a gift, ensure that the item is brand new or still in its original packaging. Inspect the gift to look for signs of wear and tear. Moreover, the present must not be personalized for you. Watch out for engraved monograms or hidden letters inside the box.

#3: DO NOT REGIFT FAMILY GIFTS

Do not give family heirlooms away. Your mother may have given your grandmother’s ring as a Christmas present. The design may not be your cup of tea, but you have a friend who loves vintage items. As much as she would love the ring, please do not regift the ring. Hit up a thrift store or a flea market instead. Your grandmother’s ring belongs in a jewelry box to be passed down to your future daughter.

#4: BEAUTIFY THE PRESENTATION

Elevate the presentation by rewrapping the gift. If the cardboard box or the original packaging is crumpled, purchase a fresh box. Then, pick out a beautiful wrapper that the recipient will like. Add ribbons and bows too!

#5: PUT THE RECIPIENT IN MIND

When regifting an item, you must think about what the recipient will want to receive. Regift an item that you would have purchased for the individual had you gone to the store. Who would be excited to own the item?

SUMMARY

There are certain situations when regifting a present is acceptable. You can only regift an item that has never been been opened before, that does not belong to the same social circle, and that has the recipient in mind. You can also regift something generic such as a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates. In the event that you get caught regifting, opt for honesty. Be upfront about it, especially to the people close to you.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Sources: 1 & 2

A nutritionist’s guide to the best foods to take for a healthier gut

Did you click in because you’re suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)? Those who aren’t aware of what IBD is, just know that there are two main types:

Crohn’s disease – frequently happens in the small intestine and the colon.
Ulcerative colitis – inflammation of the lining of your large intestine, rectum, or both.

Whether it’s your genetics or your immune system that’s causing IBD, it’s wise that you know how to spot the symptoms. These are some common ones:

Diarrhoea
Bleeding ulcers
Weight loss and anaemia
Stomach pain, cramping, and bloating

If you suspect you’re suffering from IBD, please see a doctor and make some lifestyle changes. Here’s a nutritionist’s guide on the best foods to take for a healthier gut.

#1: Ginger

Image Credits: Nutrition Force

A research paper uploaded in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention demonstrated that in individuals who are more prone to developing colorectal cancer, ginger might better suppress colorectal cancer markers’ development.

Ginger may be a root herb well-known among the older generations but not so much with the younger folks. Here are five easy tips to include more ginger in your diet.

Those who prefer to swallow a pill can consider the Ginger Root Veg Capsules 550mg (S$16) from Shopee instead.

#2: Blueberries

Image Credits: News Medical

Blueberries have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects according to a study. Another research by Lund University has shown that the fibre in blueberries helps to protect against intestinal inflammations.

Do a quick search on the internet, and you will find various proven health benefits of blueberries. They are low in calories, may help protect against ageing, and can even lower blood pressure.

It’s sweet too. What’s there not to like about it?

#3: Bone broth

Image Credits: The Seattle Times

When you visit a doctor, you will most likely be prescribed IBD medication. But there might be a better option for you, and that is bone broth.

You want to take in more bone broth because it’s rich in collagen, amino acids, and minerals. A 2016 study revealed that collagen has an impact on reducing rectal bleeding and down-regulated inflammatory markers in mice.

Get your Superior Chicken Collagen Broth 250g (S$6) from RedMart if you don’t have the luxury of time to simmer your own at home.

#4: Oily fish

Image Credits: slapyodaddybbq.com

Salmon made it to our list again. If you missed last week’s article on the “foods and supplements you can take to counter high cholesterol”, click through to read it.

Other than salmon, oily fish like trout, sardines, and mackerel provide inflammation-fighting benefits. This is thanks to its omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

There is evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent and treat IBD, though more research is needed to define the daily recommended amount.

#5: Fermented foods

Image Credits: The Spruce Eats

The main idea here is that you take in naturally occurring beneficial probiotic bacteria. They can help regulate bodily responses and homeostasis and up your immunity.

Recent studies like one in 2018 have shown that selected probiotics can be used as an alternative therapy for IBD patients. Another analysis done last year concluded that probiotics positively affect patients with ulcerative colitis (one of the main IBD types).

Yes, go ahead and eat your kimchi, miso, yoghurt, tempeh, and kombucha.

Don’t let an unhealthy gut affect you

An unhealthy gut can mess up not only your digestive system but your overall health. The American Heart Association News said that gut bacteria have an interconnected relationship with anxiety, depression, and the brain’s areas that process emotions.

Don’t let an unhealthy gut create unnecessary problems for your body. Your health starts with what you put in your mouth. Pay more attention to that!