Regardless if you are still WFH or needing to return to office, life these days could still be a bit humdrum, given the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Why not try some interesting lifestyle doodads that you never knew existed or thought of having, just to put some whimsy and excitement back into your, your loved ones and colleagues’ lives? Press “start” on these seven devices (one for every day!) to colour up your work week and weekend.
Lovebox X Hello Kitty Color And Pix Messenger, $190, Urban Outfitters
Missing your significant other half? Can’t wait to smoosh your little one when you get home from the office? Send them a message declaring your love – but, not just any message on any common platform, mind. Use this extra cutesy, extra sweet-looking – just plain extra – special edition WiFi-enabled bamboo wood Lovebox. How it works: Send photos and your feels via its special app, get the heart on the box spinning when they reach your intended bae/babe, have your text or image displayed on the mirrored screen inside, and then have bae/babe return your sentiments with a shower of hearts! It’s like an old-school love note or a totes adorbs DM system made just for expressing your lovey-dovey feelings for the special people in your life – with a lil’ help from Hello Kitty! (Do note that you will need an outlet adapter and voltage converter since this item’s made for use within the US.)
Available at Urban Outfitters
LED Toilet Night Light, $15, Brilliant Ideas
You wake up in the middle of the night, stumble into the loo too sleepy to switch on the light, and take a pee – straight onto the bathroom mat. You may not be able to aim for nuts, but here’s some help in the form of an LED night light, designed specially to create a halo (in blue, red, purple – it changes up to 8 colours!) for your throne (a.k.a. toilet bowl). Just affix this motion-activated device to the bowl and… that’s it. Just remember to remove it and wipe clean (without contact with chemicals to maintain sensor efficacy) when you are washing the toilet bowl.
Available at Urban Outfitters
MX Vertical (005449) Ergonomic Wireless Mouse, $169, Logitech
Is this a table stapler, hole-puncher, paperweight or phone charger? Nope to all. This thingamajig is a souped-up mouse. While it may not appear as fun as the other contraptions in this list, it’s the most technologically advanced. This device is claimed to help reduce muscle strain, decrease wrist pressure and even improve your work posture with its natural handshake position, vertical 57-degree angled design and advanced optical tracking. So that ticks the work productivity, efficiency and physical health boxes, but the real exciting bit comes when you’re getting comfy using this, and when passing it to your clueless colleagues who ask to borrow your said stapler/hole-puncher/paperweight/phone charger just to watch them go “Huh?”, “Hmm…” and “Wah!”.
Available at Harvey Norman stores, multiple locations, www.harveynorman.com.sg
Light-Up LED Inflatable Chair, $73, Urban Outfitters
No room for an inflatable pool? Don’t worry – your kiddo, tween or even a retro-loving you will jump onto this instead (not literally, please, ’cos it’s not safe). Add some nostalgic amusement to your living space with this light-up inflatable PVC vinyl chair that comes with a remote controller to change its colour according to your mood or room colour palette; we spotted 16 colour variations, with “flash”, “strobe”, “fade” and “smooth” lighting effects – gleeful times! Just make space to blow up and place this 40”L x 46”W x 28”H inflatable piece of “funiture”.
Available at Urban Outfitters
GODAFTON LED Block Candle (in pink), $12.90, IKEA
Want ambient lighting but don’t want to deal with the open flames of candles? Here’s a set of two pretty-in-pink battery-operated ones that you can “light up” with ease of mind, to help put some romance in the air, either indoors or outdoors. (But, if you want some scented candles, look up here.)
Available at IKEA stores, multiple locations, www.ikea.com/sg
2.0 USB Sonic Cube Mint Portable Speakers, $9.90, SonicGear
These look cute (pendant-shaped), come in a fresh mint hue (there’s also peach, black and white models if you want other colours), and are one of the cheapest portable speakers out there on the market. It’s not surround-sound, but hey, it should be good enough for your kiddo to use for his or her play and educational digital devices, or for family picnic outings.
Available at Best Denki stores, multiple locations, www.bestdenki.com.sg
SOLVINDEN LED Solar-powered Pendant Lamp, $9.90, IKEA
No plugs, no cables, less energy, less environmental impact, less costly utility bills; this handy globe light is all pros, little cons. It just takes 9 to 12 hours in the sun to charge to give off 12 hours of illumination; lights up automatically when it gets dark but never in daylight (you just need to leave the switch on); and can be hung anywhere in or outside the home or office by its attractive turquoise rope. It can even be used by your kiddo as a portable night light when he or she needs to look for the potty-room (presumably with the LED-lit toilet bowl) on his or her own!
Available at IKEA stores, multiple locations, www.ikea.com/sg
All products are subject to availability and prices are subject to change. Prices stated are correct as of time of posting and are based on current exchange rates.
