Online food delivery startup company Dahmakan has been rebranded as Pop Meals, short name for Popular Meals. I suspect Dahmakan is making this change to expand beyond Malaysia, their food deliver service is also available in Thailand also. This startup is a Y combinator startup and founded by ex Food Panda employees in 2015. I'm not sure why the name change and the drastic corporate color change but the menu for Pop Meals seems quite similar to Dahmakan.
This service is only available at certain parts of Klang Valley. I'm staying in Cyberjaya and it's available at my place but it is not available at my workplace at Kajang, do be aware of this as this service is not readily available everywhere, one of the complaints I always had on this food delivery service.
The food is prepared at a central kitchen (aka cloud kitchen) somewhere in PJ and then delivered around Klang Valley area.
Personally, I like their Salted Egg Butter Chicken Rice, Honey Soy Sesame Chicken and Thai Red Fish Curry. So far from their website blogs, the Salted Egg Butter Chicken is their bestseller.
Pop meals have expanded their offerings to have deserts (Red Velvet Cake, Tiramisu Cake and Belgian Waffles). I notice the drinks are no more, last time I could order ais lemon drink (limau ais) and Tealive bubble tea. I also used to order their gourmet fruit juices but it is no longer on the menu.
The app features an prepaid ewallet called Pop Wallet. You can preload it with credits and order food later. There is also a monthly subscription service for RM30 per month and you can get 20% off every meal with no delivery charges. From what I read, Pop meals wants to be the "Netflix" of food, what this means is they want to create a food subscription service where users pay a fixed monthly subscription amount and get to enjoy low prices on their daily ordered meals. I'm not sure whether people will warm up to this idea of meal subscription but this seems to be a modern trend.
I like that the app allows payment via ewallet BoostPay, TouchNGo ewallet is still not available yet. Cash on delivery is available also for those who prefer paying cash.
Updates 20201212
Pop meals is opening a physical store (yes) at D'Pulze shopping mall at Cyberjaya. Looks like the company is going to be pursuing a hybrid bricks and mortar and online strategy for future growth.
Updates 20210107
I ordered my 1st pop meal. I ordered spaghetti carbonara. The portions were ok, not too much but also not too little. It was served with grilled chicken which I find it to be quite tasty and was the main highlight of the meal. The dish was not too overly creamy and overall I felt it deserve 4/5 stars. The delivery guy came in all yellow pop meals uniform instead of the old Dahmakan green uniform.
Updates 20210116
After hearing so many good reviews on Pop Meals salted egg yolk fried chicken rice, I finally ordered it. The salted egg sauce was placed separately from the dish, this is good good move to prevent the dish from getting soggy. The dish was garnished with a few slices of cucumber while the rice was topped with fried shallots and spring onions. My verdict was the salted egg sauce was definitely a winner as it made the fried chicken and rice more delicious. The rice used was quite good quality but I felt it was a little bit soggy maybe caused by the residue steam in the packaging.
Updates 20210130
Today I ordered Nasi Ayam Goreng Kunyit. I wasn't disappointed, the steam rice was fluffy and perfectly cooked, the tumeric fried chicken was not too oily nor sloppy. Overall the dish was not too bad, however the sambal was really over the roof, it was seriously hot. I had to down 2 glasses of water to ease off the heat.
While I have a washing machine in my house, I don't have a dryer. Sometimes when I need to get my clothes/laundry done fast I will visit automated laundry nearby.
Recently I stumbled upon this new launderette called Orenchi. I first notice the place was the shiny machines and newly renovated shops. What separates Orenchi from the other launderettes is that it can be operated fully automatically via handphone app.
You just have to sign up to the app and from the app you can scan the QRcode on the washing machine and dryer to operate the machine. You just have to top up money into your Orenchi wallet using Bank Transfer FPX, ewallet or credit card. Say goodbye to changing notes with washing tokens. The whole wash experience can be done via your smart phone.
The second thing I like about the app also is top ups can be done using ewallets like BoostPay and TnG ewallet besides the usual bank FPX and credit cards. The app is very easy to use and quite intuitive.
The only complain I have so far the Orenchi branch which I went did not display how to connect to their Wifi hotspot even though it mentioned that Wifi is free. Other than that no complain as the whole setup is quite shiny new.
If you're interested in testing Orenchi launderette, you can use my referral code szvmsge. You will get RM5 credits upon sign up. The company is also open for franchises opportunities but I do not have much of the details so I'm not able to comment much here.
The branch in Orenchi branch which I tested out in Cyberjaya is located at Neo Cyberjaya. -> H-G, 53A, Biz Avenue 2, Neocyber, Lingkaran Cyber Point Barat. You can check out their website
to find out where the other outlets are. I'm not listing it here yet because it's a new company so the
branches will keep changing all the time.
Orenchi has other branches around the Klang Valley (Selangor, Kuala Lumpur) but I've not personally been there before.
I am micro-investing with Raiz roboadvisor where you can easily invest your spare (in PNB variable rate funds) change in your Maybank account. If you join using this link, we will both get RM5 when you use my invite code: https://links.raiz.com.my/aTYk
Raiz Invest Malaysia is organizing a friend/buddy referral campaign. Each of us get RM5 after topping up just RM5 from your Maybank Account into Raiz Invest. The robo advisor (Raiz Invest) taps into PNB (Permodalan Nasional Berhad)'s variable rate/price funds. This means you get RM10 just putting in RM5. A major prerequisite for signing up is you need to have a Maybank account with a debit card (ATM card).
(💡 Update: This campaign has ended on 30/9/2020 and the reward of RM10 has been reduce to RM5 if you use my referral)
Raiz Invest is a micro savings and miro investing robo advisor app.
All Raiz investment portfolios are investing in unit trust funds managed by Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB), a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB).
I wrote an earlier article (detailed) about the Raiz Invest robo advisor app:
I've compiled a table listing the % percentage of management fees you would be paying if you invested below RM6,000. Under RM6,000, your management fee is RM1.50 per month which turns out to be RM18 per year already. You will notice you are paying higher management fees at investments less than RM6,000.
The management fees below 1% is quite low as compared to what mutual fund/unit trust companies charges which are in excess of 1% (around 1.5%) depending on the fund type. Do note that while at 0.3%, the management fees charged is the lowest of all robo advisors in the market (eg Stashaway, Wahed Invest, MyTheo, Akkru), it's investment instrument is PNB variable price funds which is actually unit trust funds that incurs its own management cost while the typical robo advisor's investment instrument is low cost ETFs. Having said that low cost ETFs also have their own risks particularly those US denominated ETFs where you have an additional forex risk (eg changes in RM/USD exchange rates) and US investment related laws like dividend withholding tax.
What I would want to highlight on is do not put in below RM1,000 as the management fees will be very high and erode your principle investments. In theory you can start with just an investment of RM5, however, after month 2, what you have left in your account will be RM2 only because there is management charges of RM3 (RM1.50+RM1.50).
Why Raiz Invest ?
Use it like a digital savings for pocket money but start with big initial investments (~RM1,000-RM2,000) because the management fees is very expensive if you start with a small initial investment.
You believe in the strength and potential in the Malaysian Stock Market (KLCI now only a 1,500 points range and is at a historically low level)
The management fees comparison between various robo advisors in Malaysia :
Wahed Invest :
0.8% p.a. fees for RM100 – RM499K
0.4% p.a. fees for RM500K and above
Stashway :
0.8% p.a fees for RM 50K
0.7% p.a fees for RM 50K to RM 100K
MyTheo :
1.% p.a fees for RM 30K
0.9% p.a fees for RM 30k to RM 100K
👉Raiz Invest *note - behind is buying PNB unit trusts
0.0.25% p.a above RM 6K
Akru (2020 Made in Malaysia robo advisor)
0.7% fess for RM100K
FSMOne Managed Portfolio :
1% p.a fees
1.25% sales fees
The returns on PNB variable rate/price funds so far (Sept 2020) from Raiz Invest Malaysia's email newsletter are as below :
Just in 1 month, more than 1 million ringgit is being input to be managed.
Recently after I changed tyres on my car (Proton Inspira aka Mitsubishi Lancer) and the tyre shop mechanic informed me that my car’s suspension was wrecked. The mechanic did a bounce test and it was found that the car bounced a bit.
I decided it was time to change to a sports suspension just for the sake of testing as I’ve heard that sports suspension are more stable but will cause more bumpiness.
I did an internet search for workshops and was found a chain performance parts shop called Kaki Motor in Cyberjaya. Kaki Motor is located at Autoville Cyberjaya. Autoville Cyberjaya is one of the very rare industrial area in Cyberjaya, I notice a lot of car related workshops in Autoville.
The sales personnel introduced me to BS Racing coilovers which costs me RM2,400 for all 4 units. BS Racing coilovers comes from Taiwan and is priced quite reasonable compared to other coilovers like Kayaba, Tein and HKS. The price of the coilovers includes installation services and 1 time return for retuning. Coilovers are basically like adjustable suspension that comes with sports spring.
After installation of the coilovers, my car felt more bumpy a bit but it also felt more stable whether on straight road or cornering. My tuning was medium hard and medium height (slightly lower than stock suspension). Overall I was quite satisfied with the BS racing coilovers.
Recently I've been using Rakuten Trade more than my Hong Leong share trading account as I noticed Rakuten Trade has got much more features in the app.
RakutenTrade is the newest stock broker in town in Malaysia. The company is a joint venture company between Japanese conglomerate firm Rakuten and Kenanga Investment Bank. It is considered the 1st fully online broker where all registration and withdrawals can be done via their web app. There is no need for any physical form submission or physically going to Rakuten Trade offices.
There was a recent report that a lot of millennial do not buy individual stocks anymore. Rakuten Trade intends to change this perception by being more millennial friendly.
📈 Rakuten Trade targets millennial using the following 3 methods :
Gamification
Rakuten Trade makes trading stocks like playing a game. Users earn Rakuten points (RT points) during each trades and these Rakuten points can be used to redeem points at loyalty systems like BonusLink, B-Infinity and Airasia Big.
Engaged Social media presence
Rakuten Trade posts a lot of infographics on stock trading tips to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram while other stock broking companies are still using Whatsapp messaging and traditional email to disseminate information.
Strong Community
Rakuten Trade has got a strong community following on the telegram group and Facebook group. This is the place where people help each other and learn from each other.
Low Fees
It only requires RM7 as minimum amount to trade. This is considered lowest minimum amount amount all the stock brokers.
Tools for Technical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis
Rakuten Trade has got a lot of tools for both technical traders and fundamental traders. Technical traders are people who just based on the trend and charts while fundamental traders are people who buy based on whether the company is overvalued or undervalued.
You need to take photo of these documents and then upload it during the Rakuten Trade registration process. Registration will take a few days because Rakuten has to open a CDS (Central Depository System) with Bursa Malaysia. CDS account is basically an account that states how much of the stocks you own. In the event you want to switch to another stock broking company like Hong Long from Rakuten Trade, you can opt to transfer the shares.
For Rakuten Trade there are a few types of account, cash upfront and contra account. For beginners and the majority of the users, just select cash upfront account. This is the most straightforward and safest Rakuten Trade account. Basically for this account (cash upfront) type, if you want to buy X amount of shares at RM Y, you just need to make sure your account has got sufficient cash and you will be permitted to buy. It's like buying an apple, if it cost RM1 for 1 apple and you want to buy 5 apples, just make sure your account has RM5 inside to buy.
Rakuten Trade has another account type called margin account where you can buy shares with money borrowed from Rakuten Trade. While it might sound like a 0 money down kind of plan the risks are also high. Margin account trading are for intermediate level investors.
I did a YouTube video on to show the Rakuten Trade interface. It's just a walk through of the interface of the Rakuten Trade web interface where you can see how the app works.
One interesting feature I like about the Rakuten Trade website is upon login, it pops up messages on trading tips and sometimes market report.
The web version of Rakuten Trade has got a stock screener feature for users to assist in their stock selection search. You can screen for stocks based on various criteria or just use the existing preset criteria. Personally I feel the web version is way better than their mobile version.
Some of the preset filters are "High growth companies", "Growing companies", "High dividend companies", "Growth and sound fundamental companies".
The Rakuten Trade web version also has a price alert feature where you can put in target price of stocks you want to buy and you will be informed when the particular stock hits your target.
One important thing to take note is that Rakuten Trade accounts are nominee accounts, this means that the stocks are not bought under your name but bought by Rakuten Trade's nominee. This nominee method is also used by other stock broking firms, just need to take note on this especially if you want to attend AGM. When you want to attend AGM (annual general meeting), you need to write into Rakuten Trade to nominate you for the AGM 5 working days before the AGM.
Bonus Tips
The more you trade, the more points you earn. Each trade earns you RT points (Rakuten Points).
Some occasions during 11/11 or 12/12, the points can be 12x (times).
Rakuten Points (RT points) can be converted into Bonuslink, Airasia Big or BInfinity point, Bonuslink points can be used to exchange productsa and petrol at Shell petrol stations while Airasia Big points an be used to exchange for free flight tickets from Airasia. BInfinity points can be used to redeem goods from Berjaya related businesses like Starbucks, Kenny Rogers Roasters.
An example how I can use RT points is I will transfer RT points into Airasia Big points, then from Airasia Big website I can use my increased Airasia Big points to exchange for plane tickets or use it to buy products from the online retailers on Airasia Big.
The KLCI index is at a 5 year low at the moment and what better time than to start investing from the bottom. I do know a lot of young millennials have been piling up cash into the stock market and signing up in big numbers for the CDS (Central Depository System) accounts and making a killing in the market, however my advice is do be aware that this euphoria will not last forever, what goes up will come down eventually, so always set a target and take profit when your target level has been reached.
Rakuten Trade Commonly Asked Questions
📈 Rakuten Trade has got a Telegram group (a kind of chat app like whatsapp)which can be joined by Rakuten customers to get support and interact with the Rakuten Trade community here :
Where is the button to deposit money into Rakuten Trade account ?
Ans : There's a button that loads like an upload symbol at the cash status in the Rakuten Trade dashboard. Do note the maximum amount for a single transaction to Rakuten Trade is RM30,000.
Stock market seems to be moving ahead of the economy. Advice caution. While the stock market is rushing ahead, the economy is being pull ahead but there will be reversal when the economy cannot power ahead as expected by the public. The economy and the stock market is like a person pulling leash on a dog, when the dog (stock market) moves too fast ahead, the person (economy) will pull back the dog.
If you feel my article has given some value to you, you can sign up for Rakuten trade using my referral code 4ffdWBHYBI.
