“Singapore is so boring!”
Ever heard of it? Of course you have. You must have heard of this at least once in your lifetime. Or are you, perhaps, guilty of picking holes in the lack of things to do in our country? It’s okay, you’re forgiven. Because it’s going to be different from now on.
Aiming to change this off-target mindset is new discovery app, Sugar, the brainchild of Benjamin Lee and Stephen Barling.
“…Sugar isn’t just a directory. The establishments we feature are hand-picked for their character and personality. Whether they are multi-million dollar franchises or hole-in-the-wall eateries, you can be sure that every establishment featured on Sugar makes a unique contribution to the colourful urban fabric of Singapore”. — Sugar
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“When I first came to Singapore, I was keen to get under the skin of the city and really explore it. Many of my expat friends would do the same things every weekend, getting drunk at Clarke Quay or on Club Street – not because they weren’t interested in exploring more, but because they didn’t know where to look” — Stephen Barling, Co-founder and Creative Director of Sugar Technologies
You see, sugar doesn’t just inform you about the awesome places. It’s brimming with a cool feature called skimming. Anyone who enjoys a great deal will love it. The theory is simple: if you see something you like, you skim it to reduce the price.
Granted, users can only skim each item once per day, but it works when other people are skimming as well. And if you’d like a sweeter deal, simply spread the items on Facebook, Whatsapp or WeChat and rope in your friends to reduce the price even further.
The app was soft-launched on 1 April 2014 and it has since received highly favourable reviews from thousands of users. Proving that they’ve got the right stuffs, it was even featured as an Editor’s Pick by Apple on their App Store.
“We pride ourselves as being modern-day story tellers, and we’re here to regale you with contemporary urban experiences that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Every establishment that we feature has its own little tale to tell. Stories of endeavour, aspiration, heartbreak and the labours of love. Stories that will make you fall in love with Singapore all over again”. — Sugar
Sugar is celebrating its full launch on 8 July 2014. The launch event will feature a full Nyotaimori spread, an ancient Japanese ritual of serving sushi on the body of a nude female model. It will be held at Mariko’s, a bar that was previously a brothel.
There’s a reason behind the choice of the venue. Both Lee and Barling hope to draw their guests’ attention to a more critical issue, that there are thousands of women and girls being held against their will. All profits will be donated to SISHA (South East Asia Investigations into Social and Humanitarian Activities), a human rights organisation tha aims to ensure justice and protection for victims of abuse.
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