[Giveaway] Singing at a whole new level - Popsical

Popsical is not your typical flavoured ice on stick. It is a smart spin off from traditional bulky karaoke setup to sleek, simple and easy karaoke set up. One that singing enthusiasts of today should own. 

ABOUT POPSICAL

This next generation of Karaoke is a cloud-based system that has all the features of a traditional Karaoke set and much more. It weaves together the best of hardware and a seamless user interface software to deliver a great karaoke experience. All you need is an internet connection and an apps to browse through the ever-expanding library of over 200,000 songs in 14 different languages. K pop fans get their treat too!

And yes, Popsical is a home grown brand. What is more not to support? Since its first sale in 2017, Popsical quickly went to become the best selling Karaoke system in Singapore!

ACCESSORIES

Popsical Remix has combined the mixer, wireless receiver for the microphones and steaming device into a single equipment - a palm sized disc which is super light weight. The set comes along with 2 wireless microphones. Singing companion is a must!

Just these and you are good to party along with your home entertainment system with AUX connection. All you need to grab is the HDMI and AUX Cable (both not included), its inbuilt mixer and receiver will allow the connectivity to most sound systems. Ensure your TV has a spare HDMI input and your sound system has a 3.5mm AUX or RCA input port. If you do not have these, you may purchase the sound bar, available in Popsical's retail shop. 

The setting up and usage is really easy! The initial sign in can be done via the app with clear guided steps, and you can get your singing act up within 2 minutes. Or 1 minute if you work with fast feet and hands.

Popsical Remix

3.5mm phone jack and HDMI cable

RCA cable

SOUND

You probably know by now, how clear, crisp and solid the sound is depends much on your sound system. Though I have to say much depends on that singing too! Which is why, we keep singing to home. Last checked, singing genes wasn't present in any of us.

Other than these, the best singing experience can be amped up with echo, pitch, voice and sound effect controls via the Popsical Apps. And it allows the pairing with up to 25 mobile devices! Party we are talking about. 

We had it connected to our ipad for sharing and pass around since it is just the cosy five of us. Popsical is perfect for home singing, but not definitely not powerful enough to bring out for singing in a larger than home space. 

SONGS SELECTION

With over 200,000 songs, it is almost impossible to not find what you want to sing. I have to testify that the songs are very much updated to the latest singing crave. It's crazy how the kids are getting better at trends than us. The older two are on 'Me' by Taylor Swift and 'Speechless' from Aladdin movie, while the 3 year old is very much contended with tracks from, 'Lion King'. For Chinese songs, I've been quite out of the trend since my radio station is mostly hijacked by the kids during car rides. But here are some songs for you hipsters to identify.

Chinese new songs

English latest

And this, the ultimate. Put together for the nation's birthday celebration last month. All the home-grown songs!

Oh, so home!

Newly updated enough?!

MUSIC VIDEOS

My first question to Daniel, the helpful salesman at their Funan retail store was if the music videos are original. Feels better singing to actual music videos right?! Well, mostly are original, but of course there are some that are not too. And actually, a genuine parent's concern with very young children is the worry about the explicitly of the music videos played. Agree or not, some of the videos, especially the English pops can be a little too explicit for the under 18. 

It will always be good to sing as a family and have appropriate control over the songs.

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

We really enjoy this being a wonderful time of family entertainment that has songs for everyone! Grandparents too, if my parents join in. Of course, resolution of the older music videos are a far clear from today's.

A family that sings together, stays together. Regardless the pitch. 

Spot the mic hoarders

COST AND SUBSCRIPTION

This compact set of disc and two microphones is priced at $499. It comes with 15 minutes of singing pleasure daily (ads inclusive), or $10.99 per month for ads free unlimited sing time, or $4.99 per day of 24 hours. This will be the only ongoing cost along with purchase. If not, 15 minutes of singing pleasure is actually good enough exercise for the lungs daily. To maximise the 15 minutes, some music videos allow us to skip its intro, while some does not. There is no fast forward button for control. 

This ongoing cost goes towards an ensured seamless streaming experience and updates to the library of original song video content. Subscription is free the first 30 days upon purchase.

We are really amazed at how technology has brought us this far of being seamless. It is karaoke at a whole new level! Feel free to drop by their retail store at Funan Mall for a hands on, as well as vocal experience with Popsical. 

[DISCOUNT CODE] We have a $50 Discount code for share. Quote POPMC when you cart out at Popsical or when you purchase from their physical store at Funan. Discount code is valid from 20 September 19 to 20 October 19.

[GIVEAWAY] Children's day is up around the corner, and singing fun has to be in! Thanks to the generous people in Popsical, we have a set of Popsical Remix (worth $499) for giveaway to ONE lucky winner. To win, simply hop over to INSTAGRAM to participate with the following steps:

1. Like this post

2. Follow @popsicalkaraoke 

3. Follow @mumscalling 

4. In the comments section of this Instagram post, share with us What song you'll sing with your child on Popsical. And Why?
5. Along with your comment, tag 3 or more friends whom you think will love this Popsical Remix set. One Tag Per Comment please. More tags, more chances. Tag responsibly. 

All the Best!

Giveaway ends on 06 Oct, 2359 hrs. Winner will be dm-ed and announced in the comments section of this Instagram post. Prize redemption will be at Popsical Funan Store. 

• Winner will be picked by simpliers.com
• Winner will be announced on Instagram
• Winner will have 24 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn
• All incomplete entries will be disqualified
• All entries will be verified before the winner is announced 
• To be fair to our sponsors, social media accounts set up purely to take part in contests will be deemed ineligible to win.
• Giveaway is no way sponsored, endorsed, administered or associated with Facebook or Instagram

POPSICAL
Funan Mall
107 North Bridge Road
#04-12
Singapore 179105
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm

Flea market experiences

How often do you declutter your wardrobe? Yearly sounds about right for me. 

Together with my sister in law, we brought our cleared out wears to the Flea market. In hope to convert them to, as much cash as possible. Within a short frame of 5 months, we tried 2 different flea markets by different organisers. One at Grandlink Square and another at Lucky Plaza.

THE LUGGAGE MARKET (Grandlink Square)

Grandlink Square at Paya Lebar is opposite City Plaza. Their only available slots are every Sunday, which gets sold out really fast! At the snap of your fingers. It is best to follow and be kept updated through their Instagram account (@theluggagemarket). You may also direct message them your interest and they will notify you of the next open date. 

Their indoor space is at $66, and outdoor space with partial or no shade at $56. Both from 11am to 6pm. We opted for the air conditioned indoor space, but being near the entrance, it was quite warm for us. Even so, we think it makes a better choice than being outdoor. A floor mat is given and all you had need to do is to open your luggage on it, or pile your clothes on the mat.

Floor space

We were allocated a corner space, so I guess we got to terrorize a little more space since we had no neighbour to our right. 

Being very ambitious, we wanted our clothes to go at $4 to $5 per piece. It was quite a heart breaker to even let go some of our favourite, good branded and unworn clothes at this price. Idealism and reality differs, our competitors were selling their stash at 3 for $10. We followed suit, and gradually slashed to $1 at the final hour. I like that the organiser stated a term and condition that no clothes should go below $2 per piece before 5pm.

Guess our earnings?

We had a huge pile of clothes, went back with less than half and with an earning of $500. After rental of course. We were over the moon! 

Overall, we find this flea very well organised, with booth space well allocated in advance. There was great music by the organiser, and the only bad was that the place has no drinks and food stalls. You need to bring your lunch along, or send someone out to get food. The sale hour is from 11am to 6pm. We tarried awhile more till 630pm as we wanted to clear as much clothes as we can, and there were still buyers around.

FLEAWHERE (LUCKY PLAZA)

Crowd here seems better than at Grandlink, the demographic is about the same. Mostly foreign domestic foreign workers. The sale hour is between 1pm to 7pm. You may go early at 12 pm to get your table space. First come first serve. There really isn't a best space within, because the crowd moves and keep their eyes at every corner. A square table, size of a mahjong table and 2 stools are given per stall. Rental is at $138 (Sunday), if you book through Shopee.

Huge crowd

The space stated is indoor, air conditioned, but it was a low heat sauna experience for us. Ventilation was bad, it was crowded and suffocating. Highly dangerous should fire hazard occur. For the sake and effort of bringing our clothes all the way down, we stayed on till 7pm. I sent the kids home with the man because everything was just bad. Again we were ambitiously aiming to sell our clothes at 3 for $10, only to get bummed by our neighbour who was going at $2 per piece. At 3pm, some stalls were going at $1 per piece and 50 cents at the last hour. A lady even put up her clothes for free as she did not want to bag them home. 

The term and condition that stated clothes should not be priced below $2 was obviously disregarded. The only control that came was asking us to pack and leave at 7pm sharp. And they turned off the fans. There was still quite some crowd even then.

My perpetually sweaty face

We earned a miserable $58 after rental deduction. To be fair, this batch of clothes was the leftover from Grandlink. And buyers do have high taste too. The plain looking tees, tops, bottoms and dresses did not sell. They do know how to make their dollar value worth.

And of course, if you think of them being foreign domestic workers, you know our less means more to them. It's not charity, but they do have a tough time toiling in a foreign land. So haggle to where your heart leads you to.

Grandlink Square a better choice for us

Now that we have the experience of both flea, I assuredly say we will not be back at Lucky Plaza. I've to say though, our neighbours there were doing really well. Which could be their first sale of their wardrobe clearance. Lucky Plaza's organising was bad and the floor was constantly wet, perhaps from the humidity. Imagine the light coloured clothes being flipped onto the floor and stepped on. Huge sigh! Clothes should have some dignity even till to last its last breath, no?

Grandlink was certainly better for us. In terms of earnings, space, comfort and rental! The kids helped out comfortably here too. Though it ended at 6pm, we were chased only at 630pm. There were still some buyers around and we were hardworking enough to stay on. Oh, and because we are mothers, we had quite a good number of kids clothes sold at Grandlink than at Lucky plaza. Maybe a more motherly crowd there?

Flea Market tips

Here are some flea market tips, regardless where you go:

1. Bring small change. We do get a few $50 bill. 

2. Bring paper/plastic bags for them to put their buys.

3. Pack in your preloved accessories. They love earrings especially. While there will definitely be no table space for display, you may keep them in a box and hand it to them for sift through.

4. Cosmetics, perfumes, loose items etc. are popular items too! Ask and offer if they are keen.
5. Preloved shoes are popular buys too! 

6. Bring a mask. With so many preloved clothes for sale, they are also likely to be collecting dust for some time. The place will be super dusty. 

7. Lunch before you head down. The flea markets we went were crowded and busy, meal time may be a little challenging.

8. There will be haggling. Be prepared to let go of your clothes at $1.
9. Bring water and hydrate well. 
10. Dress comfortably of course!

Flea market is a load of hard work. The packing and the transporting took a toil on us. With that, we are done with flea marketing for a long long while. Till the next time we declutter our wardrobe!

Aladdin Musical is Genie-us

Aladdin is a childhood classic story that most of us grew up with. Not only was it written in stories, directed in films, it is also adapted to a musical in the recent years. We are so thankful to have caught the hit Broadway musical, Disney Aladdin at Marina Bay Sands last evening. Always magical to catch a timeless story coming to live on stage. And this is not one ordinary production, it is a shining, shimmering and dazzling show that will bring you into a Whole New World of magic and colours.

Photo credit: Base entertainment

This production of Disney's Aladdin opened in Sydney in 2016 and has travelled to Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland and Adelaide before making its way to Singapore. It will play in Singapore as its only and final stop for this tour. Witness it with fans flying in from our neighbouring countries just for this musical.


LOCAL FLAVOUR

We love this adaption of story for the stage. Great story with brilliant choreography and acts. We heart each and every of its casts, specially the Genie played by Gareth Jacobs. If I can say, he was the hit of the show! It was the perfect role for him, and we hope to catch him back on stage some day. He cracked up our night with funny acts and jokes. Part of his jokes were scripted to our local audience where you will spot the Genie showing our iconic Merlion out of his huge pocket, which he said was from his pre-show shopping. As well as talking endlessly about the chilli crab he ate. The Merlion was too small to see from where we were far seated. The front audience got the joke and I knew what it was because I attended its media call explaining some parts of the show. For that, I could tell the kids what it was. So in case you wondered, it is a white Merlion figurine. Maybe from a souvenir store at MBS.

Photo credit: Base entertainment

MORE CASTS

Exclusively, this musical includes new characters, Jafar's lackey, Lago and Aladdin's friends and fellow thieves, in replace of Abu the monkey I guess. Putting them together brings forth a whole new level of humour.

From left to right, the casts are Iago (Jafar's lackey), Jafar, Sultan (Jasmine's father), Kassim, Omar and Babkak (Aladdin's friends and fellow thieves).

Hardcore fans may be disappointed to not spot Abu the monkey and Jasmine's pet tiger, Rajah. All is saved when a special Disney montage of fan favourite songs was put together by the Genie. That was a fantastic treat that I didn't want it to end.


MORE SONGS

Songs from the musical were serenading. In addition to the five songs that appeared in the 1992 film, this musical show includes four new songs and three songs that were written for the film, but not included due to running time. It will be a special opportunity to hear them live at this musical. Other than our all time favourite, 'A whole New World', I specially love the song, 'Proud of your boy'. One of the songs that is not featured in film, but only in musical. The song was sung by Aladdin about his unnamed mother. He acknowledges his bad ways and promises he will make things right. Motherhood ingrained, it just touches me about children learning from their mistakes and making them right.

Photo credit: Base entertainment

SETS AND COSTUMES

Other than keeping our eyes fixed on the singing and dancing, costumes were equally captivating. The crystals on their costumes were shining bright through to where we were seated. Glad I had a backstage tour to look into the designs and details (Sharing more towards the end). Pay special attention too, to the Sultan's costume. It is the only piece made and beaded in middle east, while the other costumes are made in Australia. Knowing its story is set in the middle east, props, sets and costumes are beautifully put together with hints of Arabia.

Cave of wonder was absolutely amazing too! 120 pieces of gold came together to form it. Same gold finish as C-3PO in the Star Wars films. And you know its gold because it blings and shimmers genuinely the moment they are all put together.

There are a total of 500 sets and props in this production. That being said, Aladdin's sets may be scant compared to other Disney musicals with extensive and denser stage sets. It is assuredly, still magnificent and gorgeous! 

Photo credit: Base entertainment

Photo credit: Base entertainment

Parts of the show had cleverly weaved in magic to impress. They were some tricks that will keep your mind working, but most impressively, I enjoyed the part when Jafar made his three wishes. He had 3 sets of clothes changed out in that short segment, and each change was within a split second. Right before our eyes.

Magical sums it all!

MAGIC CARPET

The awesome part, the highlight and the attraction of the night was none other than witnessing the couple tour the world in their magic carpet. This segment of the show really wowed us. It was astounding, and I wished they would tarry longer on there. The kids gasped in awed and went, "how did they do that?!!" I have no idea, and the production did not reveal how the magic carpet flies in the musical. It is part of Disney’s magic! Be amazed with this breathtaking flight.

Delighted too, that the magic carpet made appearance again in the final act.

Photo credit: Base entertainment

We very much enjoyed the show that was collectively put together, specially the comedy that kept us laughing and songs that almost got us up dancing and doing waltz at the A Whole New World moment. It was a weekday night that had the kids bedtime stretched. A well worth delayed sleep for the theatre, which the kids and us enjoyed tremendously.

A colourful night for us indeed

A spectacular and Genie-us musical!

BACKSTAGE TOUR

We went on an insightful backstage tour to bring you some sights and facts behind this spectacular production. The production boasts a cast of 34 and a staggering 337 glittering costumes which feature 1225 different fabrics, 712 different styles of beads and almost 500,000 Swarovski crystals. 40 tonnes of exotic flying scenery and 60 tonnes of automation and staging has been transferred to Singapore in more than 30, 40' sea container to recreate the fantasy city of Agrabah including the colourful marketplace, the lush palace of the Sultan and his princess daughter Jasmine and the legendary Cave of Wonders.
 

 

The ensemble outfit, first from left has got microphones in its pants! Can you make a guess before the reveal? Just so the audience can hear the clear feet tapping sound during the tap dance segment. So much about sound effects eh.

 

This purple costume which I recalled was what Jasmine's servants wore, weighed quite a ton! Imagine all the movements and dancing with it.

The hats are also meticulous to the top, where it's beaded and crystal-ed with designs. We know how theatres are architecture of not only front, side to side stage view, but a top down view as well.

This pattern here on the middle piece costume is the smoke pattern when the Genie comes out in the original animated film feature. It’s a little recognition back to the film. I wonder if the 1992 film is still around for watch. 

Here, a closer look.

There are 108 costume changes that take places in less than a minute, and 58 costume changes that take place in less than 30 seconds. Every costume piece is a pride. It is detailed to the seam and even if a costume appears for only a few seconds on stage, it is one that was given an equal amount of effort. And shoes, there are 161 pairs of custom made shoes in the show. Who said shoes are insignificant on stage?!!

PROPS

A closer peep into a portion of the cave of wonder and other props.

 

50 shows! That's how much the sets, props and costumes need to withstand to be away from its base to Singapore. Touching up and durability are important elements to keeping their props beautiful for showtime. There is just so much about the story of being behind the scenes. 

May your wishes come true!

Aladdin is a popular story with a strong fan base. It will be very much enjoyed by every young and old. And if you didn't know, Agrabah is a mythical city. Not a real city, a fictional place. This Broadway sensation, Aladdin is now playing at Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands until 01 September 2019 to a limited season of 50 performances.

Tickets are available from $68* (exlcude booking fee) and a matinee performance has been added to celebrate National Day on August 9. Buy four tickets and save 10% when purchasing via Marina Bay Sands ticketing and Sistic

Event Date

Sun, 21 Jul - Sun, 1 Sep 2019 

Tue - Fri: 7.30pm

Sat: 2pm and 7.30pm
Sun: 1pm and 6.30pm
Friday 9 Aug performance will be a matinee at 2pm.

Venue

Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands

Ticket Pricing

(Excludes Booking Fee)

Tue - Thu

VIP Reserve : S$208
A Reserve : S$178
B Reserve : S$148
C Reserve : S$128
D Reserve : S$98
E Reserve : S$78
F Reserve : S$68
VIP Box (4 seats) : S$832
A Reserve Box (4 seats) : S$712
B Reserve Box (4 seats) : S$592
Restricted View: S$90

Fri - Sun
VIP Reserve : S$228
A Reserve : S$198
B Reserve : S$168
C Reserve : S$138
D Reserve : S$108
E Reserve : S$88
F Reserve : S$68
VIP Box (4 seats) : S$912
A Res Box (4 seats) : S$792
B Res Box (4 seats) : S$672
Restricted View: S$100


Disclaimer: Media invite. Thank you Base entertainment for having us at the show.