Dive into Harbour City’s interactive Toy Story takeover until August 4

Press Release:

Excited for Toy Story 4? Experience the return of your favorite characters in a whole new way as Harbour City brings the beloved franchise to life between June 29 and August 4, 2019.

Harbour City Hong Kong is the perfect place to celebrate the release of Toy Story 4, with plenty of space to explore and enjoy the immersive experience. It is home to a wide array of unique and exclusive finds, from fashion and beauty to art and special interest stores. 

Inspired by the film, Harbour City has transformed into a Toy Story-themed carnival with different games and challenges, where you’ll get to meet Woody and the rest of the gang. Figures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Slinky Dog welcome guests at the 7 meter-tall giant arch entrance at Ocean Terminal Forecourt, while you can snap photos with other Toy Story characters like Bo Peep, Duke Caboom, Jessie, and the Aliens at the balloon ticket booth, roller coaster, and merry-go-round. Game tokens can be used at different games and challenges, including Forky: Get Me Outta Here, Gabby Gabby: I Love You, Potato Heads: Fix Me Please, and Aliens: Oooohh the Chosen Ones.

Advanced Tricks in Renting Rental Space

Starting up a business requires great planning and marketing research.  Indeed, getting the perfect spot may be a challenge. If you are a young-blood who wants to start your own business or a foreigner who likes to invest abroad, Cambodia is indeed a perfect location for you.  Here are some tips and tricks to win a favorable business lease.

1. Choose the perfect lease structure

A commercial lease is about three years with longer and more flexible terms than residential rent.  First, the type of lease to enter should be considered. There are some lease structures provided by Clint Gharib, founder of The Gharib Group-Integrous Investing, in his Forbes article:

• Single Net Lease, Net Lease – the tenant only pays for the utilities and property tax while the landlord covers the maintenance, repairs, and insurance of the unit.
• Double Net Leases – like net lease, tenant only covers utilities, property taxes, and building insurance premiums while landlord shoulders maintenance and repairs.
• Triple Net Leases – the tenant shoulders all costs of the building, except for structural repairs, which are covered by the landlord.
• Full-Service Gross, or Modified Gross/Net Lease – Also called the ‘base rent’; the tenant and landlord share the costs for all structural repairs and operating expenses.

Depending on your business needs and finances, you may choose the best leasing structure for your company.  Of course, if you can negotiate for a lease that could cover all expenses, it would be much easier to manage finances.

2. Corporate versus retail landlord

It is important to consider whether you are dealing with a corporation or private landlord.  It is hard to have flexible terms when dealing with mall authorities since their lease contract is already pre-set.  In contrast, you can easily negotiate with an independent landlord to better suit your needs.  Nevertheless, be careful with who you will be dealing with. 

In Cambodia, foreigners could not own property, so leasing could be the best option. However, you must ensure to deal only with the owner. A business applying for permits or licenses may be denied if they will be occupying a subleased unit. 

3. Hire an expert 

A lease is a legal matter and a very critical process.  Hiring a real estate agent who knows the complexity and technicality of leasing could help you save a lot in the long run.  Such an expert can negotiate to get the most favorable deal for your business.

4. Have all the details in writing

You may see various ads online and inquire on each of them on the phone.  However, it would always be legally proper to keep all information in writing, just in case the deal does not end well.  A written contract ensures you have a better understanding of all the details in the deal.

To secure your slot, of course, you would need to have a security deposit, which ranges from one to three months.  To ensure the lease contract is legitimate, Just Landed enlists the required details:

• The property addresses 
• The names of the lessor and lessee
• The payment schedules
• The amount of the security deposit received
• A registry included in a furnished property
• Right thumb fingerprints of the lessor and lessee as well as their respective witnesses, which act as a signature for both parties

5. Always negotiate with the asking price

A landlord sets the price with leeway for negotiation. Make a counteroffer that is about 10% to 15% lower than the asking price. Then, work your way to settle with the number agreeable to both parties.  You may also research nearby rental rates to help you negotiate for a lower price.

6. Do not settle for a single deal

Seeking the best location for your business means looking at multiple sites and weighing the pros and cons of each. One location may have a cheaper rental. However, another one may offer better lease options and perks. This would allow you to make the best decision and walk away with the best deal.

7. Have an ocular inspection

While landlords indicate the floor area in ads, it is best to see the property for yourself to see the usable area for your business. Also, you can determine improvements you would need and make better plans ahead.

Checking the property also allows you to research about it. You can see how the existing businesses in the neighborhood are doing. You can ask around about the foot traffic, available parking space, nearby competition, and most importantly, the landlord’s reputation. Of course, you don’t want to get stuck in a deal with a difficult lessor.

8. Longer lease, better price

Understand how property valuation works and you are guaranteed to get a better deal.

You may find a property with an already attractive price. However, you can even make it better. Usually, landlords want to have at least a year contract. Nevertheless, you may negotiate with your landlord for perks, discounts, and better renewal options if you are committing for a longer tenancy. 

Nevertheless, such may not be possible for small start-up businesses since the risk of failure is higher. A one-year contract with advantageous termination clause may be a better option. After all, the contract can be renewed once your businesses have stabilized. 

9. Competitor, Renewal, and Penalty Clauses

Having no competition is ideal, although it may not always be the case.  However, having an anti-rival clause would be most favorable for your business.  This would hinder your landlord from accepting a rival within the building.

In addition, you need to check the renewal options in the contract.  You must learn to negotiate for a favorable term if you decide to renew your lease.  You may ask your landlord for certain discounts. If you intend to expand, having a priority clause for renting an adjacent unit is perfect.

Since you are signing a contract, always look at the penalties you may incur throughout your lease period.  Primarily, make sure to have a cure period to fix any breach in the contract like late rental payments.  Otherwise, you might find yourself dealing with legal implications. 

Also, check the termination clause.  While you may hope to keep the business for the longest time, it would be helpful for a start-up business to have a lower termination fee included in the contract.  After all, you do not know what may happen in the future.

Indeed, the lease process could be intimidating.  However, knowing some lease negotiation tactics makes it easier to get a promising deal for your business needs.

Akemi Quality Set of Bed Sheet Product Review

Akemi exhibit at the SM Home Fair

I recently visited the SM Home Fair held at the SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia, Pasay City. As I visited each showcase exhibit, I was able to learn so much. There’s definitely more to buying a set of comfortable sheets than just choosing the right color for your bedroom. Sounds sensible right? After all, you’re going to be sleeping on those linens every night for the foreseeable future, so shouldn’t you buy the best? We spend roughly 33% of our lives sleeping, according to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research—that’s equivalent to about 26 years. Let that sink in for a moment. Picture everything that happened in 26 years of your life, wiped out in a dreamless sleep (a pretty sobering thought). Fortunately, sleep doesn’t actually work that way, but of course knowing exactly how much of our lives we spend in our bed—whether it’s blissfully passed out or tossing and turning—makes us want our sleeping conditions to be as conducive to a restful slumber as possible. And aside from choosing the perfect mattress, the most important part of getting that deep, so-good-you-don’t-want-it-to-end sleep is one thing: your sheets.

One of Akemi linens on display

The best bed sheets depend on more than just a rating, though. You have to pick the best-rated bed linens that suit your sleeping style, the climate you live in, how cool or warm you keep your home, and the feel you prefer.

So what are the things one must look for in a linen for it to be considered good quality? First, you must look at the details of the fabric, blends, and the reasons you shouldn’t compromise on linens for your bed.

Have you ever spread out new sheets on your king sized bed, slid in between the fabrics, and then regretted your purchase? Some sheets can be scratchy, uncomfortable, thin, and not at all how they were marketed. What happened? You may not have paid attention to the thread count, the fabric, or the instructions on how to wash your sheets. You’ll have to pay a little extra for the best sheet set, but not as much as you may think.

I recently learned about thread count. Are as unfamiliar with it as I once was? Thread count is an important part of getting the most comfortable sheet set possible, but you don’t have to pick up 1,000 thread-count sheets. In fact, in some sheets, thread count doesn’t even matter. It’s a matter of finding the right fiber and fabric, and we’ll get there in a moment. Bottom line here, though, is that everyone deserves the best because sleep is important, and your bed linens play a big part in you getting the bestnight’s sleep every night.

Another Akemi sheet at the exhibit

I came across a world-class quality brand called Akemi. It’s a Malaysian brand with a Japanese name which literally meant “Beautiful.” According to the sales guy I had interviewed, its real name is Akemi Uchi which meant “Beautiful Home.” But since in the Philippines, only the bed sheets and linen are being sold, hence, the owners dropped “Uchi” from its name because they do not carry other household products here. 

How I Got Better Sleep with Mr. Big Ergonomically Comfort Pillow

Having the correct pillow gives one a comfortable and quality sleep

Mr. Big. Who is Mr. Big? That was my first reaction when I first heard about it. The only Mr. Big I am familiar with was the singer who sang “To Be With You” back in the early 90’s. But we aren’t talking about a person here, we are talking about an ergonomically designed pillow called Mr. Big made and designed by a physical therapist. It was created and designed by licensed health care professional who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility. 

Mr. Big ergonomic pillow was made to support ergonomically zoned areas such as head, neck, shoulders, spine and thighs—parts of the body that we should all care for. Sleeping in correct posture and while properly supported by pillows helps prevent pain and discomfort.

I stumbled upon Mr. Big Ergonomic Pillow recently when I attended the recently concluded SM Home Fair at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. Mr. Big is a popular brand in Thailand and it’s been brought to the Philippine shore only last year, in 2018. It’s known to have given satisfied customers quality sleep because of its uniquely designed pillows such as Jay, 7 and 9 pillows.

Highlights from the Smart Parenting Convention 2019

Smart Parenting Convention has about 70 plus concessionaires

I have always looked forward to attending the Smart Parenting Convention because like most parents, I get to learn so much from it. We all know that parenting don’t come with a manual or textbook. It’s nice to know that there are events organized annually such as Smart Parenting Convention where they have guest speakers that talks about how it is to be a good parent and how to properly raise kids. It’s the most anticipated event for the year. Parenting as we all know is such a challenging job. You have to be a parent 24/7 without getting paid for it, without having day-offs and all the other perks that comes with any other kind of job. But it is something that’s definitely worth it, it’s also a very noble yet fulfilling career. 

My Media ID during the event

Purple Plum Fairy at the Smart Parenting Convention 2019

Attending Smart Parenting Convention had always been fun. Not only because of the learnings one can gain out of going there, but also because of the many perks, huge discounts on shopping and lots of freebies that comes along with it. Smart Parenting added fun and rewarding experience of parenthood as they held and hosted another Smart Parenting Convention at SM Megamall last June 29, 2019. The event was co-presented by Nido, powered by PLDT Home Fibr, with minor sponsors Jack ‘n Jill, 3M Nexcare Products and Ariel

Eco friendly diapers

Colorful teething beads