Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and given that this year’s festivities are set to land on our laps less than a month after the intense partying (on our couch) during the Christmas and New Year season, many of us are left scrambling to prepare for small talk and fervent snacking come next week.
Companies and startups in Singapore understand the stress and fatigue that come disguised as another long weekend, so they’re here with time-limited CNY promotions to get you through – without any cock-ups!
Pun fully intended.
Servishero, For The Spring Cleaners With No Time
Spring cleaning is a long-time tradition tied to the belief that ridding a home of dust and old items is equivalent to ridding it of bad luck.
While this wasn’t much of a problem back when our parents were younger and we were less busy, the lack of time and energy can rise as an issue come the period for spring cleaning.
Servishero, a Malaysian startup that made its way onto Singapore shores back in 2015, aims to help users easily connect to local service providers (or as they call them, “Heroes”) via their mobile app.
From cleaners, to movers, to electricians and plumbers, and even to makeup artists and drone videographers, Singaporeans don’t need to spend time scouring directories and trawling websites to engage in these services any longer. This makes it especially convenient for families with elderly parents at home.
Given the range of services that the startup’s Heroes provide, any potential home-related issue can be fixed with just a few taps on your smartphone, and just in time for the New Year!
Chope, For The Last Minute Reunion Dinner Planner
Planning for a reunion dinner is no easy feat, even if you’re not hosting it at your own home.
For many, the last minute rush to browse the Chinese New Year menus from various restaurants and hotels tends to take up many lunch breaks, so restaurant reservation startup Chope has come up with a one-stop page just for CNY, chockfull of restaurant listings and their corresponding special menus.
With a convenient “Book Now” button at the bottom of each listing, liaising with an eatery for reunion dinners have never been easier.
In light of the CNY festivities, the Chope team has also come up with a fun game that gives players a chance to win up to $888 in cash!
If that figure isn’t huat enough for you, I don’t know what is.
DBS PayLah, For The Tech-Savvy Ang Bao Giver
Ang bao-giving has long been one of the most loved and hated CNY traditions, and for the married folks who need to take on the role of Fortune God, withdrawing fresh $2 notes and slotting them into red packets are an administrative nightmare.
But why subject yourself to all of this when you could do the same – with just an app?
We all know about DBS Bank’s PayLah! service, which lets users transfer money to peers (even non-DBS and POSB account holders) with just the recipient’s mobile number. Well, did you know that you can do the same for Ang Baos?
Back in 2015, they introduced an eAng Bao feature, which enables users to send virtual red packets to their loved ones on occasions such as weddings, baby showers and of course, CNY!
It basically works like how the traditional Ang Bao-giving process does – you pick the amount you’d like to impart onto your recipient, enter their phone number, and the deed is done.
The catch? They would need to be DBS/POSB account holders with the PayLah! app. But given that DBS is the largest bank in South East Asia, that little bump on the giving road probably isn’t such a big deal anyway.
The not-so good part, though? There’s a lower probability of using the “Oh I ran out of ang baos!” excuse anymore.
StarHub, For Entertainment During Boring Visitations
House visitations can be boring, especially if you’re stuck in a house full of nosey relatives you strategically avoid, and chatter is among the older folks who have long overtaken the mahjong tables.
Thus, there’s usually nothing else to do to dispel the monotony of the few hours other than gorge on goodies stuffed into red-capped plastic bottles or sit in front of the television, watching re-runs of Stephen Chow movies.
StarHub understands that, and wants to help those of us who turn to the telly as our salvation during visitations.
On Tuesday, StarHub TV announced that it will be giving its customers free previews of 150 channels, and over 80 streaming channels via StarHub Go, their streaming service which can be access via laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Available from noon on 27 Jan to noon on 31 Jan, some of the channels that will be free are HBO, FOX Movies Premium, and Star Chinese Movies, and featured movies are Korean hit zombie flick Train To Busan (which I personally LOVED) and Jack Neo’s Long Long Time Ago 2.
And yes, for those of you who still want to satisfy your Stephen Chow cravings, classic Hail The Judge will also be screened then!
Wet Tee Shirt, For The Fashion-Conscious Who Wants To Huat
When it comes to shopping for brand new clothes for CNY, we all know about online stores, some of whom have even curated “Collections” which are Grandma-friendly (see: not black or dull-coloured), but what about those of us who don’t want to suppress our personalities with safe, flowery-print clothes?
Online store Wet Tee Shirt, run by a team of designers living in Singapore, have a few cheeky options for those who want to get into the festive mood without compromising on style.
Simple, yet loaded with a refreshing Singaporean twist, the shirts will definitely help you become a hit at your CNY parties – drawing chuckles from relatives both young and old.
And the best part? The huat from the t-shirts might finally bring you some good luck for all those impending Blackjack sessions!
Want more unique shirt option? Check out Statement for more choices!
Pally Asia, For The Single Who Doesn’t Want To Mingle (With Nosey Aunties)
The rent-a-boy/girlfriend service for CNY practice is nothing new – in fact, we covered it 2 years ago, when we featured Rent-A-Gent.Pink and their “marketplace of gentlemen escorts available for rent by the hour for parties and dates”.
Last year, The New Paper did a follow-up on the trend, revealing that agencies have “reported seeing an increase of between 20 and 25 per cent in bookings during Chinese New Year”.
Pally Asia, a Singapore startup which caught our attention last year, is another option that singles could consider looking at this year.
The service doesn’t come cheap, though.
A check on their “Be My Partner” service, which allows customers to rent a fake partner to appease parents, ward off nosey aunties, or rile up exes (with a 3o minute-long ‘pre-work’ over the phone to “ensure authenticity”) starts from a whooping $250 for a 2 hour session.
But it seems like for some, the amount is definitely worth the questions and nagging that one can finally avoid.
Because hey, ignorance is definitely bliss in this situation.
Chinese New Year Doesn’t Need To Be Excruciating
Come next week, most of our Chinese readers would be thrown headfirst into the New Year festivities, so we hope that this list will help whoever’s facing CNY-related woes to make their experience a little less excruciating.
What other CNY worries do you have? Let us know!
Featured Image Credit: StarHub
