Easy breakfasts are for when you just need something quick to last you through until lunch. If you’re not a morning person, we could all agree that getting up earlier to make a hearty breakfast is close to an impossible task, especially when you always have busy mornings. When a Greek yogurt and English muffin just won’t cut it anymore, it’s time for some quick healthy breakfast ideas.

And you don’t have to fret over how to start learning to cook. Doesn’t matter if you’re staying in a serviced apartment (or aparthotel as some would call it) for a short-term work trip or nestling in a long-term rental apartment, here are some healthy yet easy breakfast recipes that require little preparation and minimal cleaning.

Overnight oat

The fastest way to make an easy breakfast ready is to do it the night before, and it doesn’t even take more than 10 minutes to make.

Get recipes.

Once you get the basic proportions right, we encourage you to get creative with the ingredients! You can even add almond butter or maple syrup and brown sugar to add a little twist to your oats, and top it all off with some fresh fruit and fresh berries.

This is ready to be eaten right out of the fridge but if you’re not a fan of a cold breakfast, simply pop the jar into a microwave for a minute to warm it up! This is definitely one of the easiest grab-and-go breakfasts out there, not to mention a nutritious morning meal.

Apple cinnamon oatmeal

Another make-ahead breakfast goodness. For a more environmentally friendly option, prepare the oatmeal in a recyclable microwave-safe container.

Get recipes.

On-the-go smoothies

Making a smoothie is easy, but getting the ingredients ready costs you precious time in the morning. So, cut up the fruits to blend and keep them in the freezer the night before to save time. We also recommend using a personal blender so you can enjoy your smoothies on your way to work!

Get recipes

Fabulous Frittata

This easy breakfast dish is perfect for mornings when you have a tad more time to start your day with a delicious breakfast. All you need is to whisk together some eggs, any milk, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Then, saute your vegetables until its tender, before you pour in the egg mixture. To switch it up, you can add cheese on top, and transfer the pan into a 400-degree oven, which most fully-furnished serviced apartments have.

Just bake it for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you see that the eggs are set and that the top is lightly golden at the edges.

Get recipes.

Classic Singapore’s eggs and toast

This is one of the most loved quick breakfast recipes in Singapore. Simply toast some bread, then slice up some butter, before you spread some kaya over your bread. To cook soft-boiled, simply submerge your eggs in a pot of boiling water, and then turn off the heat. Cook for 6-7 minutes with the lid closed.

There are two ways to eat it Some would dip the kaya toast into the eggs. But we’re purists: we keep them separate.

Get recipe.

French Toast

This may be one quick breakfast idea that you didn’t think of. french toasts are as easy to make as they are delicious. Here’s our quick and easy french toast recipe:

To start, spread some cream cheese over your bread. You can add something sweet to balance it out too, like honey or marmalade. Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture, and then place them on your skillet. Once you’ve cooked it until it turns golden brown (which usually takes 2-3 minutes), you can start serving it, and drizzle the syrup to your heart’s content!

Get recipe.

Scrambled Eggs

If you need a bit more protein in the morning hours, scrambled eggs are the way to go. And sure, you’ve heard of the Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs. But fear not, scrambled eggs is a pretty easy breakfast dish to make too. Simply whisk eggs, milk, and some salt, and cook it over medium heat. Once you see the bottom layer start to cook, gently whip the egg from one end of the pan to the other. Repeat that across areas of the egg that aren’t cooked.

You can even fry some crispy bacon, breakfast sausage, or even some sweet potato chips to add a little more flavour and texture to your meal. There are people who have scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes too. For something a little heartier, simply toast some whole-grain bread to go with your scrambled eggs.

Get recipe.

Written by Riley Heng, Head of Marketing at MetroResidences

Productivity lessons can come from anywhere.

Fun fact: Every employee at MetroResidences is required to tag along with the housekeeping and partake in housekeeping duties as part of our staff orientation—no matter if you have a business degree from Harvard Business School or not. This is one productivity class you don’t really get anywhere else.

Why do we do that?

Reason 1 – With our housekeeping team travelling to various apartments in a day, it’s a great way for a new team member to learn more about the apartments managed by us.

Reason 2 – Housekeeping is not an easy job, and this is when we find out how our housekeeping heros are nailing every cleaning assignment.

The apartment that you have stayed in/are staying in may have been cleaned by someone who’s managing the website you see today! Anyway, I embarked on my housekeeping duties during my first week with the company. Here are my 3 biggest productivity lessons from the team.

Lesson 1: Importance of creating a routine

Routine planning is not just a thing for kids. You can supercharge your personal productivity with a clear routine, day in, day out.

The team manages the cleaning of different serviced apartments in multiple locations every day, and they will not be able to complete their work for the day without excellent time management skills. It all boils down to creating a routine while working with the differences in a day’s work.

Preparation for the day’s work starts the evening before when the team lead details the following day’s cleaning schedule, which includes the duration each team should spend in every apartment. The next morning, the team goes through this schedule, prepares the linen and cleaning items required and we head over to the first stop at 9 am. Everyone gets on with their tasks at the apartment and I too, made myself useful, helping out with the vacuuming and changing of linen. Two apartments later, I got into the rhythm of things and we established a sequence of tasks in every apartment. It took a team of three approximately 15 minutes to complete the cleaning of an entire apartment. By 5:30 pm, all cleaning work was done and we were ready to head back to the office.

A routine tends to work well when one has a higher level of awareness in the time taken to complete an activity. This is why despite having to manage varying travelling duration and traffic condition, the team still manages to complete their work on time.

Lesson 2: Accept changes and setbacks with grace

Cleaning schedules are planned to optimise time while causing minimal disruption to every guests’ lifestyle.

On Day 2 of cleaning, we were about to enter an apartment for the scheduled cleaning but was told to come back later in the evening as the guests were still resting. This would have disrupted the day’s schedule and the team may likely have to work overtime to accommodate this change. Everyone wasted no time in lamenting about the changes and instead, quickly got into a discussion to reshuffle the day’s work and rework the day’s route to maximise time. At the end of the day, we avoided a dip in productivity. We returned to this apartment at 5:45pm and completed the cleaning at 6pm!

Lesson 3: Assume responsibilities and take initiatives

Our serviced apartments come in different sizes and that means that we may complete our task faster than the others. However, I noticed that no one waits around while the others work, or works slower to be on the same pace as others. The fastest member assists the rest or finds ways to make the task more convenient for the others so the team would finish the cleaning in the shortest possible time.

Structurally, housekeeping duties are not too different from our day-to-day work in the office. Here are some ways that I have implemented those lessons into my work:

• List out the list of pending tasks each day, prioritise them and allocate the time I should spend on each activity. This also comes in handy when a last-minute work comes in and I could clearly review my schedule and pick a less urgent task to replace the work with.
• When this schedule didn’t work out for a day, review it again and improve it for the next day.  
• When setbacks happen, take a deep breath and focus on the task, not the emotions.  
• Have a clear idea of your key responsibilities, write them down if you have to.
• Never stop asking “how can I help to make things better?”; a stronger team means higher efficiency.

Highly efficient people or teams are not powered by magic. We’re living in a world where working smart matters and it’s about finding and incorporating the right habits into our life and work. Only then you can optimise and maintain productivity levels, year after year.

Guest writer – James Chua, Co-Founder of MetroResidences.

“A busy man who works long hours appreciates good-service more than an idle man”   

One furnished apartment is not like the other. Corporate Housing is not for everyone, it is for the busy person with less leisure time, with less margin for error, with less support infrastructure (family) and who has fewer days to spare in Singapore.

Corporate Housing is a more efficient solution for a tenant looking for contract flexibility and short-term leases. It does not require the tenant to get involved in the aspects of regular maintenance and weekly housekeeping. Traditional residential leases work better for those who are staying for 1 to 2 years and are willing to put in hands-on effort in the daily upkeep of the apartment, which business travelers may not have the capacity for.

The best thing is? The living spaces at international service apartments often have lower costs than luxury hotels. A corporate apartment is a ready-to-move-into apartment. It comes with fully-equipped kitchens, furniture, cookware, linens, and towels. Plus, these spaces are supported by a professional-housekeeper and maintenance team. Yet, you can find Singapore serviced apartments and corporate housing, be it in the East, the West, or the city-fringe.

A traditional apartment lease typically comes without furniture, requires some amount of fixing-up before the move in and in general requires the tenant to purchase all or some of the furniture.

Since not everyone visiting Singapore for work would have the capacity or interest to set up a new home from scratch, it makes settling into the new home a lot easier. Plus, with flexible contracts with shorter lease periods, many international service apartments are preferred options for business travelers, and digital nomads alike. After all, serviced apartments have a 3-month minimum lease, rather than the market standard of 6 months for most traditional apartment rentals in Singapore. International students also consider serviced apartments as student housing because it provides them with instant community, just like in most co-living spaces.

In a traditional lease, the renter is typically dealing with the landlord when negotiating the terms of the rental prior to the move-in. After the move-in, the landlord continues to be the negotiating party for maintenance issues. Dealing with the individual landlord directly frequently leads to unpleasant exchanges because landlords come from a “house-proud” perspective, looking at things from too personal a lens. Tenants come more from an efficiency angle where they would like to simply get things fixed. With serviced apartments, you get to enjoy prompt maintenance services, even if guests have short-term rentals.

• Use a corporate apartment for 1 to 6-month stays
• Use a traditional lease for 1 to 2-year stays
• A corporate apartment does not require the tenant to purchase any furniture, perform maintenance tasks and do housekeeping.
• A traditional lease may require the tenant to navigate the landlord negotiation delicately

If a tenant is staying for over a year, has more time to spare in setting up and managing the home, look for a traditional lease. If the time and efficiency is of the essence, look for a corporate lease.

You would not have experienced the full spectrum of the Singaporean culture if you have never been to a wet market. So dive into the sights and smells of Singapore’s exuberant wet markets with this survival guide.

Its eclectic wet market stalls and hawker stalls are a common sight across Singapore’s neighbourhoods. More than just a place to get food & groceries, or the freshest seafood and vegetables, a local wet market is THE place to hone your Singlish, bargaining skills, and get a taste of the lesser-hyped (but equally tasty) local dishes. It is similar to a farmer’s market, but we’ll be honest – things could get a little daunting for a first-time visitor. So here are some handy tips to survive a trip to the wet market. Maybe, afterwards, you can get a treat at the hawker centre too, which is usually adjacent to most wet markets.

Keep it short and sweet

Singlish is not only about learning when to use the “lah, lor, leh”, it also includes how one masters the art of shortening sentences. At the noisy and bustling marketplace, you will need to keep your questions and instructions short. That way, wet market stallholders will keep their attention on you.

Instead of “How much does this cost?”

Try “How much?”

Instead of “Could I have more/less of this, please?”

Try “More!” or “Less!”

The rule of freebies

The market is not a place for freebies, but if you have purchased a substantial amount of greens or have become a regular customer, you could ask the stallholder to throw in some free chillies, green onions, lime or parsley. We don’t recommend trying this at other stalls.

Know your grams.

This skill is best put to use when patronizing the dry goods stall – the one with sacks of onions, potatoes, dried mushrooms and other canned food. Unlike supermarkets where every item is well packed, you have to indicate the weight of the ingredients you would like to purchase. It’s kind of like a wet market tradition.

For example, “500g of chilli”. You may notice seasoned shoppers indicating quantities in the form of price – e.g. “$2 of onions please”. We suggest only doing this when you are familiar with the pricing.

Gear up

Ready to explore the wet markets? Here are some essentials you should carry along with you.

• Cash: Cards are not accepted so make sure that you have sufficient cash with you, especially coin and notes of smaller denomination.
• Dry/wet tissue: Great part about shopping in wet market is getting to handpick the seafood and vegetables and these tissues will definitely come in handy afterwards.
• Grocery trolley: While this is not necessary, we encourage you to bring one along

Lastly, put on a pair of anti-slip sandals/slippers!

There are wet markets in almost every neighbourhood in Singapore but here are some popular ones that you should definitely check out; some of which are even within minutes’ walk from the MetroResidences’ serviced apartments.

Chinatown Wet Market
Chinatown Complex,
335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335.
Opens daily, 8am-12pm.

Tekka Wet Market
L1 Tekka Centre
665 Buffalo Rd, Singapore 210665
Opens daily, 6:30am – 5pm.

Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre
20 Ghim Moh Rd, Singapore 270020
Opens daily, 6am – 10:30pm.

Geylang Serai Wet Market
1 Geylang Serai, Singapore 402001
Opens daily, 6.30am – 12pm.

Tiong Bahru Wet Market
30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898
Opens daily, Early moring – 1pm.

Shopping online might seem like a universal thing but with delivery fees, different locations and other factors to take into consideration, the shopaholic expat might get a little confused. So here’s a little guide to make shopping online as easy as it should be, and get your credit card details ready!

There are many overseas websites that ship to Singapore and they even offer free shipping, but when it comes to online shopping, local sites do as good a job, or even better. The products are stored in local warehouses and shipping usually is dealt with by a courier service like Ninja Van instead of a generic postal service, so you can expect your goodies at your serviced apartment’s doorstep a lot sooner. Plus, you can even track some of your international shipping!

Sites like Zalora and Lazada house both local products and international brands so you needn’t worry about a lack of availability. Plus, these platforms even offer cash rebates and you can use your cashback credit cards too.

Of course, there’s the online shopping giant Taobao too. What it lacks in trustworthy merchants, it makes up for with a comprehensive range of goods and products; you can literally find anything and everything on Taobao, all at affordable prices. Not to mention, you can still arrange for consolidated shipping for all the items on your shopping cart.

Here’s a list of local online shops that have our stamp of approval for the best shopping experience:

1. Lazada
2. Zalora
3. Carousell
4. Redmart
5. Qoo10

Online sizes are sometimes generic – ‘S’, ‘M’, ‘L’ and sometimes misleading – a UK ‘M’ could be a Singapore ‘L’. And with websites perpetuating their own different size charts and guides, it can get confusing to find the right fit. But here’s a pro tip: Try to measure your body first, and then refer to the sizing guide of each product. Most retailers would put the measurements there, so you can save on additional shipping fees when you find the right size.

You can go to physical stores that carry the same clothes, try it on to see if it looks good and do a price check on your mobile phone. You can usually find cheaper prices online over brick-and-mortar establishments.

Doing the vice-versa helps as well. Research (especially for electronic gadgets) on your smartphone or computer before going to a shop to try it out.

Check out our 10 best apps post to check out the best apps for shopping online.

Delivery companies usually work regular office hours so if you can’t be at your serviced apartment to collect your order or can’t deliver to your workplace, use a POPStation. You’ll never have to worry about missing another delivery again.

Just pop by a POPstation, and collect your parcel from a secure locker. POPStations are Pick Own Parcel Stations that lets you collect your online shopping in a secure and fast manner. They are located island-wide, with 153 different stations. You can even return unwanted shopping at POPStations.

Brands like Zalora, Qoo10, taobao and Uniqlo all offer POPStation deliveries. For a comprehensive list of retail partners, see here.

There are stuff that fall out of fashion, or simply just stuff that you have lying around at home that you don’t use anymore. For stuff like that, there is a special place in Carousell for them. Carousell’s a marketplace where people can sell anything under the sun.

Carousell is a C2C (consumer-to-consumer) marketplace for the average joe to sell anything – brand new goods, well-loved clothes or old technologies. And there are numerous ways to sell these things as well; through postage, meet-ups and more.

There a few things you should be wary of Carousell however. Because it is a C2C marketplace, Carousell themselves have no way of maintaining a quality control over the goods sold on the site. So when buying something off a relatively new seller on carousell, always be sure to perform a QC (quality check) on the goods before completing the transaction.

So the term blogshop is a bit ambiguous – it used to mean a blog where women in Singapore has a mini-ecommerce portion to their blog; a virtual shop where they sold their unused or preloved clothes online on blogging platforms.

The blogshop scene and its meaning have evolved. Now you can find ‘blogshops’ that sell a variety of products including clothes, fashion accessories and shoes. These products are brand new and some are even made overseas.

Blogshops are great for getting unique pieces at cut-throat prices and you’ll never have to worry about wearing the same thing as someone else from the usual street fashion mega stores, like H&M and Topshop.

Here are some of our go-to blogshops:

1. The Editor’s Market
2. Dressabelle
3. Love, Bonito

Now that you’re familiar with Singapore’s online shopping culture, get that credit card out and start swiping!

It was a punchline before it became a badge of honour to all who mastered it. Some even argue it’s a language on its own. Singlish is one of the most distinctive aspects of Singaporean identity. Now, everyone living in Singapore for a longer period usually learns Singlish to fit in, because most Singaporeans use it. Even the Singaporean government has embraced it, even if it tried to suppress it in the past. There’s even a Singlish Wordle: Word-leh. It can be difficult to wrap your head around it as Singlish straddles multiple languages. Just imagine—you can use words from four languages in one sentence! But steady, ok? We can do this.

Table of Contents

• • • What is Singlish?
    • The History of Singlish
    • Singlish Today
    • 15 Common Singlish Words and Phrases
    • 1. Bojio
    • 2. Blur like sotong/blur sotong/blur
    • 3. Chope/Chop
    • 4. Kiasu
    • 5. Kiasi
    • 6. Lah/Leh/Lor/Mah/Ah
    • 7. Paiseh
    • 8. Power La/Power
    • 9. Sia
    • 10. Sian
    • 11. Siao
    • 12. Sibeh
    • 13. Spoil market
    • 14. Steady
    • 15.Talk Cock Sing Song
    • 16. Wah Piang/Wah Lau/Alamak
    • MetroResidences Singapore Serviced Apartments—Your Home Base for Travels Beyond

What is Singlish?

It’s a portmanteau of Singapore and English. In technical terms, it’s an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore. Manglish, i.e. Malaysian English, as well as Bazaar Malay, are close cousins. Though Singlish is more influenced by the Chinese dialects, while Manglish receives more Malay influence.

The History of Singlish

Singlish arose as different ethnicities mingled for a prolonged period. In pre-colonial times, most of the population on the island consisted of thriving Malay communities, such as Orang Bugis, and Orang Laut. As Britain colonised Singapore and established English-medium education, elements of English filtered out of schools and onto the streets. By then, other ethnicities began to take root in Singapore, namely the Southern Chinese, Indians, and other Europeans.

With time, non-native speakers of the English language used English as a common language to communicate with speakers of the many languages used in Singapore. The working class then learned elements of English outside of formal schooling and mixed in elements of their native languages. Singlish was thus born, with substantial influences from Indian English, Peranakan, Malay, Tamil, and the southern varieties of Chinese. More and more people began to use Singlish as a neutral language, allowing communities to communicate with each other.

Singlish Today

Singlish has continued to evolve through the decades since Singapore’s colonisation. With its funny colloquialisms and vibrant imagery, Singaporeans formed a strong connection to Singlish. By the 1990s and 2000s, the hit sitcoms in Singapore used Singlish profusely, riding on the backs of Phua Chu Kang, a Singaporean everyman who mainly spoke in Singlish. 

Yet, the government wanted to present Singapore as pristine and business-friendly (whatever that means). It launched several initiatives to promote the use of standard English. One of its biggest programmes was the Speak Good English Movement. The prime minister at the time, Goh Chok Tong, said “If they [the younger generation] speak Singlish when they can speak good English, they are doing a disservice to Singapore”.

But today, the programme seemed to back off a bit, with its website declaring that “The Speak Good English Movement recognises the existence of Singlish as a cultural marker for many Singaporeans. We aim to help those who speak only Singlish, and those who think Singlish is English, to speak Standard English.”

Honestly, what is good English anyways? Can communicate, ok already what! That said, the state of Singlish today belays the complex intricacies between language, culture, and identity in Singapore. Plenty of Singaporeans and foreigners alike still possess an affinity for Singlish. 

16 Common Singlish Words and Phrases

1. Bojio

Another Hokkien phrase, and it translates to ‘never invite’. To be used when you didn’t get invited to something. It also not-so-subtly hints at a desire for an invite; used unabashedly.

“You’re going to have dinner at the St Regis?! Bojio!”

2. Blur Like Sotong/Blur Sotong/Blur

Sotong is the Malay word for squid, and the meaning of blur like sotong refers to people who are a little slow catching on or have trouble understanding something. It is supposed to be comparable to the squid’s ink that blurs a squid’s predator.

“Don’t be so blur sotong, we already mentioned it in the group chat.”

3. Chope/Chop

This word has Hindi and Punjabi origins to it. It’s derivative means to stamp or to brand something. Chop in Singlish means to reserve a table at the place to eat. This is usually done by placing a small article such as a tissue packet, on the table. It is done in crowded hawker centres and food courts where there are large crowds and seating is limited.

“Why don’t you go chope seats while I queue up to order the Hokkien Mee?”

4. Kiasu

This is a Teochew term (驚輸/惊输) that is more popular with the older generations of Singaporeans, as it embodies their mantra of life. Kiasu means being afraid to lose out or miss out on something.

A good comparison to kiasu would be FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out). Kiasu parents would get their children signed up for primary schools even before birth,; kiasu Apple lovers queue up for the newest iPhone a week before the release date. You get the idea.

“That aunty is so kiasu, she bought a tent and pitched it outside the Apple store… the iPhone XI doesn’t come out till next month!”

5. Kiasi

It’s the sister to ‘kiasu’ (驚死/惊死) It’s often used similarly as “kiasu”, which literally means ‘afraid of dying’. But you can use it to accuse someone of being a coward or being hesitant.

“Just leave the office lah, not like you have any work to do. So kiasi for what?”

6. Lah/Leh/Lor/Mah/Ah

These are words used at the end of a sentence to emphasise the statement or the request. Most sentences would mean the same thing without it.

“It’s raining lah.” Or, “Buy some food for me leh.”

7. Paiseh

This word comes from the Hokkien word 歹勢/歹势 (pháiⁿ-sè). Paiseh means to be embarrassed by a mistake made but is mainly used to apologize.

“Paiseh ah, I didn’t mean to spill milk on your pants”

8. Power La/Power

The term usually means to praise someone or something.

“Power la you, finish your homework so fast.”

9. Sia

A Malay term denoting an exclamation.

“Wah that car is damn cool sia!”

10. Sian

Derived from the Hokkien/Teochew character ‘?‘ (siān), This is a cry for when you’re bored or just being tired of life.

Example: “Sian. Why is the queue so long.”

11. Siao

To call someone “siao” is to call them crazy. Usually used when the said person is talking about doing something seemingly impossible or against the norm.

“You siao ah! Nobody eats fried chicken 5 days in a row!”

12. Sibeh

From the Teochew phrase 死父 (si²-bê⁶). In literal terms, it’s a vulgar phrase that means ‘dead father’. But the Singlish term is less severe, where it’s a more dramatic way to say ‘very’

“Sibeh sian sia, boss don’t let us work from home.”

13. Spoil market

To do so well at something that everyone else in the ‘market’ falls short in comparison.

“That guy’s got it all, he’s young, rich and handsome, he spoil market for the rest of us single guys.”

14. Steady

This is one of the more flexible Singlish expressions. It could be used to praise someone as being cool and steady.

“You can still find an affordable Singapore condo rental? Steady la!”

It could also be used as a way of agreeing over something.

“Oh you want to get Korean BBQ also? Steady la!”

The term can be used to signify a couple being officially attached.

“Eh, you two steady or not ah?” 

15.Talk Cock Sing Song

“Talk Cock” alone, is derived from the archaic English phrase ‘a cock and bull story’. It is used when someone is spouting nonsense, or something untrue.

Whereas talk cock sing song actually means to chat casually, especially with people who are close to you like friends and families. An English variation of this would be to ‘chew the fat’.

“They just talk cock and sing song the whole of last night.”

16. Wah Piang/Wah Lau/Alamak

Now wah piang and wah lau are inherently similar, they are both used as an expression of bewilderment or shock. Alamak is a Malay variant that carries a similar meaning.

“Wah Lau! They ran out of chicken rice already? It’s only 2pm!

About the Writer: Benedict Lim

As the resident punmaker, Benedict is really bad at making people laugh. They’re much better at diving into the nuances of the things they write about.

MetroResidences Singapore Serviced Apartments—Your Home Base for Travels Beyond

Looking for your home away from home? Our Singapore apartment rentals and serviced apartments are perfect for a longer period of stay. We have properties in luxury developments across Singapore’s most coveted addresses: Bugis, Bukit Timah, Shenton Way, and Novena.

And, you can rest easy at any of our properties. We adhere to our strict Property Standards that account for the comfort and cleanliness of all our serviced apartments. Our fully-furnished apartments come with amenities like wi-fi, air conditioners, and a fully-equipped kitchen.

Too many things to do, too little time.

We all love a relaxing visit to the spa, spend some time at the movies or get through a few rounds of computer games to combat the stress that we can almost literally feel on our shoulders. But let’s be honest, we don’t always have time for these.

Our senses are powerful emotional triggers. Without spending too much time or money, you can turn your serviced apartment into a zen paradise with these simple stress-relieving ideas.

The power of greenery

Houseplants are not only visually soothing but studies have shown that they have a tremendous effect on our health too. A research by NASA shows that houseplants can remove up to 87% of air toxins in just 24 hours! On top of that, caring for plants are also great for helping with depression and loneliness. Not sure which plant to get? Start with this list of plants with anti-anxiety effects!

Take a whiff

Our sense of smell works in intriguing ways and is deeply intertwined with our memories. While our housekeeping team makes it a point to help create a nice, fresh smelling home for every guest, there’s nothing like adding some personal touches to your apartment by creating your own home scent. Even better, use these natural ways to make your home smell amazing.

If time allows, make use of your apartment’s oven and turn to baking to de-stress. It also makes for a perfect trick to fill your living space with the aroma of freshly baked cookies or bread. Here are some easy recipes that take less than an hour to prepare.

Listen to the sound of calmness

Set a soothing ambience at home by putting on some slow and relaxing background music. Create a playlist of calming tunes or check out one of Spotify’s relaxing music playlists. Enhance the relaxation effect by closing your eyes and focusing on taking deep breaths. Go a step further and take a couple of minutes in the morning or before bedtime to meditate. For guided meditations, check out these mobile apps!  

Mindful eating

A stressful and hectic lifestyle often have a negative effect on our eating habits. If you find yourself mindlessly gulping down your food and turning to junk food to fill your stomach, you may want to incorporate the concept of mindful eating into your mealtimes.

What is mindful eating? It is an approach to pay attention to what you are eating, the emotions that trigger the hunger, and the eating process. This also means putting aside your devices and setting time to focus on your food and its tastes. Mindless eating hinders the communication between the mind and body. Studies have shown that paying more attention to your meals can effectively reduce stress levels and improve digestive health!

Feel a sense of relaxation

Tactile sensations are an easily overlooked aspect of stress relieving. Hop into a hot shower or take a nice long bath at the end of the day, give yourself a hand or neck massage, or simply opt for soft clothings to minimise discomfort on your skin.

Welcome to Club Street.

Now that we’re managing the Clubhouse Serviced Residences along Club Street, we’ve had the chance to go on walks to check out the bars and restaurants that make up this buzzy neighbourhood. And boy, does it have plenty to offer!

Burger Joint New York

Photo: Burger Joint NY

If you enjoy the simple pleasures of washing your burger down with a glass of beer, make this place your next dinner spot.

This is every bit the classic burger joint, serving good ol’ fashioned burgers along with fries, milkshakes and craft beers. The burgers are made-to-order and comprise stacks of fresh, quality ingredients. We’d recommend the Bacon Cheeseburger if you’re after the perfect blend of textures and flavours from the cured bacon, juicy patty and oozy cheese. The portion is fairly decent but if you’re up for it, go for a double!

Refer to their chalkboard at the beer counter for a list of craft beers. Can’t decide what to order? Just inform the bartender of the kind of flavours that you usually go for and let them suggest something for you.

Operation Dagger

Photo: Drinksomewhere.com

Sitting on the list of “Asia’s 50 Best Bars” and “World’s Best Bars”, this underground gem serves up experimental cocktails that engages your senses in creative ways. The team distils their own alcohols, which are kept in unlabelled brown bottles so that customers would focus on the flavours rather than the types of alcohol that goes into every glass.  

One of the most interesting and popular drinks is the Hot & Cold, which is made up of 2 distinctive layers of warm foam and cold liquid in a glass. Be sure to give this a try the next time you’re there! 

Smith Street Taps

Photo: Time Out

This is not exactly a bar but we believe you should know about this chillout spot. If you and your peers are looking for a unique and no-frills spot to unwind and satisfy your thirst for a few pints of craft beer, check out this pop-up hawker stall at Chinatown Complex, 10 minutes walk from your serviced apartment at Club Street. There’s a range of craft beer on tap and the beer list changes on a weekly basis so you can expect to taste something different each time you visit.

“If you’re saying yes to every Supplier (Landlord), you’re probably not doing enough in your Quality Control department”

As part of our daily tasks, we look at a wide variety of residential properties everyday. We filter out the bad and leave in the good. Sometimes bad means old, not near an MRT, poor maintenance, predatory leasing terms, new but too expensive, or anything that isn’t good for the tenants. We then make an educated decision about the specific unit, the location, the surroundings, before we display the property on our website.

You will find probably the best value ready-to-move-into-apartments on MetroResidences.com anywhere in Singapore.

Location: MetroResidences uses a very specific location matrix on deciding whether a property is suitable for a professional. We look at factors like;

1. Distance from the nearest MRT
2. Distance from the nearest bus stop
3. Qualitative experience walking to the nearest MRT or bus stop
4. Is there greenery (parks…etc) within 10 minutes from the apartment
5. Is there a supermarket accessible within 10 minutes from the apartment

Based on Singapore’s urbanisation plan of decentralization there are a number of high-quality residential clusters all over the island. This means that renters do not have to cluster around the city centre to experience a high standard of living. Even at the extremes like the far eastern (Simei) or Western (Jurong) parts of Singapore, there are townships built to high standards that rival international standards. We know these locations intimately and you will find many of these apartments on our website.

Price: MetroResidences monitors short-term, and long-term rental rates of residential apartments, serviced apartments and hotels. We work with landlords that are interested to work with an equitable price level; a fair price that is good for the landlord, the tenant and the platform.

It is an open market with an open internet and each tenant is at liberty to seek out the best rental rate. To ensure our customers are getting the best value for the money they are spending versus the quality of the home they are getting, we only work with Landlords who’s asking prices are attractive versus the market. Attractive doesn’t mean cheapest. Attractive means the property should present exceptional value versus the quality of the home, location and overall experience.  Where we are unable to come to an agreement on price, we prefer to politely decline working with a particular landlord. Because we have a pulse on the rental rates in the market, we often know what a property’s asking rental should be set at even before stepping into the apartment. #bigdata

The apartments are MetroResidences are a representation of our gatekeeper function. We view many properties, and only present a few for rental to our customers.  

Our customers can rest assured that wherever you are booking a property on our website, a significant amount of ground-work has already been done to scout the location, the interior of the apartment, the surrounding amenities and the price to ensure you are receiving a standardized experience. It’s not the easiest thing to do, and it sure takes a lot more effort than simply managing a website, but the customer smiles make it all worth it.  

Guest writer – James Chua, Co-Founder of MetroResidences.

If you cannot see it, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Many locals whom I’ve met aren’t aware of what we do because MetroResidences doesn’t touch the retail-consumer sphere. Sometimes I wish we had more visibility, but I suppose being incognito is a by-product of a business-to-business service.

Corporate Housing like radio signals, is not easily seen by the naked eye, but plays a significant role in our everyday life and economy.

Corporate Housing is a near perfect solution for the modern professionals living in Singapore for multi-month period. It provides the best combination of a home, a local experience, and at a reasonable price.  

The biggest benefit comes from the layout of the apartment, the location, the surrounding neighbourhood.

Residential homes are created for low-density long-term living and family-life, while hotels are created for high density short term living leisure. One example comes from the building-code surrounding the construction of balconies. In a typical hotel construction the building code typically rejects balconies due to safety reasons; eg. Hotels pose a higher risk of individuals falling when inebriated. However in a residential building, the risk are significantly reduced and balconies are permitted. From a feel point of view, balconies have a wonderful effect in making an apartment seem more like a home in how alfresco dining is possible, fresh air circulating through the unit and and how the view of the apartment can be more readily enjoyed.

A second benefit comes from the locations surrounding the residential compound. There is typically more greenery, more provision for wide open spaces like parks and open fields, and surrounding family-friendly infrastructure like family doctors, schools and supermarkets. Science shows a direct correlation between mental health and proximity of parks to residential homes. See this study looking at data from New Zealand, Europe and the U.S        

Overall an on-balance corporate housing presents a more economical choice versus the typical hotel. From a daily rate perspective, hotels go for between 50% to 100% more versus a corporate housing apartment across the road. Our own data suggests that our on average daily-rate works out to be between $120 to $130 per night versus the $170 to $180 shown as the Revpar statistic published by the Singapore Tourism Board for 2017, which is 30% lower.    

• Hotels are good for daily stays
• Corporate housing is better for stays of 30 days to 180 days
• Better quality of life
• More family friendly environment
• More cost efficient and cheaper overall

Our Corporate Housing platform has been functioning under the radar for 4 years and counting. Thousands of companies have booked with us and tens of thousands of individuals have passed through our doors. It’s not easily observable but we are making the lives of Professionals better, reducing expenditures for Companies and lowering stress levels in general.