beanie's space.

Hiatus

2013-04-10T23:51:00.000+08:00

Will be taking a break from blogging. I'm in my final semester of my 2 years Masters of Engineering Science therefore I need more time to write my thesis and journal papers. Tonnes of reading and writing to do. :(

Meanwhile, do follow me on instagram as I'll be updating photos of my travels and food on Instagram hopefully. :)

Signing out,
beanie. t

December is here..

2012-12-07T17:03:00.002+08:00

Hello readers,

December is here. And that's when all the festive seasons, tonnes of holidays are. Christmas's just around the corner.. have you been shopping for Christmas? Be it a big gift or small, Christmas is the season of gifting so go get your gifts for your loved ones now :) sounds like I'm helping the malls to promote YES (Year End Sales) :).

My wishlist for shopping is growing.. longer and longer coz there are more pretty things approaching Christmas.. all the Christmas editions stuffs are tempting :) :).

I've been busy.. really busy... and..

Here's some of the stuff that I'm up to for the month of December.

Christmas paper crafts :) I found them on Canon Creative page here and they're really amazing. Some are simpler and some are more complicated, with some up to 20 over pages of instructions.

Christmas socks

A pair of snowman

I'm also preparing for a Christmas party and I bought tonnes of decorations for the tree (actually I haven't bought the tree yet, still thinking which to buy). And here's the moose pasta I bought from Ikea. Its so cute!! :) Every piece is of moose shape. :)

pasta from Ikea

So how's your Christmas preparation? Have you have any new year resolutions yet? I guess I'll have a list for 2013.

Till then, enjoy your December! :)

Do follow me on Instagram beaniesspace since I'll be mostly posting photos to update, will find time to blog though.

Shell Ferrari Model Lego Collection

2012-11-13T01:17:00.003+08:00

Many of us grew up with Lego especially those from the 80's and early 90's. And Lego has grown A LOT too, from the very basic sets when I was a kid. I remember I had a box which allows me to build a house, plane, etc and the set comes with a simple instruction booklet. Now LEGO has way more variety - the kids nowadays are just so lucky. I still love how these little bricks forms many amazing structures - I've seen Harry Potter versions in the Lego store in Bangsar, and also the amazing buildings of the world.

Recently, Shell teamed up with Ferrari and Lego to come up with the Ferrari Model Lego Collection which was launched in Malaysia last week. These buildable Ferrari cars consist of 25-61 pieces of bricks depending on its model. Malaysia is one of the first few countries to get this amazing models, after Hong Kong and Singapore. Each car features the smallest ever pull back engine built by Lego.

The first batch is out last week, on 8th November and the next batch, 3 more cars will be out on 29th November. The Lego packs comes with the bricks, accessories and mini instruction booklet, just like any other Lego sets. Want to know how these cars look like? Drop by any Shell outlet of course :), I've got mine!!~
...... and I'm nice enough to post photos of it.

This is the first batch ...

photo from Shell garage website here

and the next three models are ..

How to get these models? You just need to fill up with RM40 of VPower fuel to get these cars at RM10.90 each. For other Shell products including Shell Fuel Save 95, every RM40 entitles you to buy them at RM12.90 each. For Helix Ultra and other products, please see the website here for more details. Also, remember to swipe your Bonuslink to be eligible for this promotion.

There is also the super cute Lego minifigures, where you can only buy it if you pump VPower. Also at RM10.90 per pack of 3 figurines.

If you pump up to RM50 of VPower fuel, you'll also get a RM40 discount voucher for Legoland Malaysia.

Ferrari 150 Italia, 458 Italia and 250 GT Berlinetta

Cars and Lego minifigures

Love the details on the mini figures.

Legoland discount voucher

I'm feeling like a kid once more! Drop by at any Shell outlets across Malaysia to get these limited edition models when you need to fill up your car!~

Updated 24/11/2012:

Shell V Power roadshow at Sunway Pyramid launches the 2nd series of Ferrari Model which include the next 3 cars : The Scuderia truck, F40 and FXX.

Here in the roadshow, you get to buy a RM40 Shell Vpower pack and get the cars at RM10 each. Each Vpower pack entitles you to buy a maximum of three cars. You'll also get 4000 Bonuslink points where you can use it to redeem RM40 worth of Vpower fuel at any Shell petrol station.

It's definitely much better than waiting for the cars to be released sometime later next week. And you get to buy all three at a cheaper price too.~ There is a special display case available at the roadshow (I am not sure if you can get it anywhere else), sold at RM50 each. The roadshow is only for today and tomorrow, so remember to drop by!~

P/S : There is huge Lego Ferrari model, and if you buy the Shell Vpower pack you get an Instax photo taken at the spot. There are place for kids to build their own lego models, car racing games and much more.!!~

Halloween buffet dinner at Latest Recipe, Le Meridien KL

2012-11-01T03:18:00.003+08:00

So how was Halloween? Did you go trick or treat around your neighbourhood? :P :P

I made use of my complimentary dining voucher/RM200 cash voucher from Starwood Privilege membership that I acquired earlier this year for the buffet dinner at Latest Recipe. The normal price was RM108++ for adults and RM54++ for kids.

Latest Recipe serves decent buffet which has pretty much everything, ranging from Japanese - sushi, sashimi & teppanyaki, Indian food, noodles, grilled dishes, salad, raw oysters, and a good variety of dessert. Since this time it was for Halloween, I managed to try few types of the spookiest dessert.

Be prepared for a photo heavy post! (I'm too lazy to describe)

pumpkin decoration

cold appetizer

fresh sashimi

grilled dishes, sausages, crab, fish and beef

Indian style

raw oysters, crab, mussels, clams, prawns,

combination of rice. tandoori chicken, curry potato and keropok

soup of the day - pumpkin soup

garlic rice, beef , prawn and cod fish teppanyaki

noodle soup

And for the desserts.......

tombstones

spooky cakes =.= some even comes with eye balls

finger @.@ cookies

fresh cut assorted fruits

chocolate fondue

waffle with ice cream

They have scooped ice cream and teppanyaki ice cream too. :) *likes*

more pumpkin decorations

another one

a pumpkin got murdered

witchie hat and pointy ears

ootd : LBD from Robinsons, shoes from Mango Touch, clutch from YSL

That's all for tonight, have a spooky Halloween. Nites.

Address:
Latest Recipe at Le Meridien KL,
2, Jalan Stesen Sentral, (same area as KL Sentral)
Kuala Lumpur.

Dining Reservation: 0322637434
See Discover Le Meridien for more dining promotions.

Happy Hallooweeeeen!~

2012-10-31T15:09:00.002+08:00

Hie all, I'm dropping by to say Happy Halloweeen!

Some of the decorations I made: spiders and bats, and my Witchy hat

Going anywhere tonight to celebrate? :) I'll be going to Latest Recipe at Le Meridien for the Halloween dinner. Shall blog about it when I get back, hopefully I'll find some time tonight.

Follow me on Instagram or you can also view it here on my blog top banner.

See ya! Happy trick and treat!~~

Tatsu - Japanese Ala Carte Buffet at InterContinental KL

2012-10-10T01:40:00.000+08:00

I love Japanese food! So when I was planning for a friend's farewell dinner, I immediately choose japanese cuisine :) :). That's partly because the friend who's leaving to the states said he wants unlimited sashimi.

I decided to give Tatsu a try, since I prefer ala carte buffet. I feel, that way our food will be served fresh.

Tatsu is having 88 splendid dishes ala carte buffet at RM98++, available during the weekend. We did not managed to try all the dishes, but we do have repeating orders for some, especially the fresh sashimi and seafood teppanyaki.

me at Tatsu !~

Edamame

Ebi tempura maki

They have quite a good selection of sushi rolls, ranging from prawns, soft shell crabs, salmon and tuna to california and vegetarian roll.

chawanmushi

Dobin mushi (Clear soup in teapot)

Tuna and salmon sashimi

more salmon sashimi - look at the thick cut. satisfying!

other selection of sashimi - one of the many sashimi platters that we ordered

Scallop teppanyaki

We ordered beef , salmon, and prawn teppanyaki as well but I failed to capture a photo of it as I was busy nom'ing on other yummy food. :( my bad. The prawns were surprisingly large. :) I'll try to update some photos once I got it from my friend.

Gindara teppanyaki (Grilled cod)

We tried their other selection of grilled dishes as well, they have grilled fishes - mackarel, salmon, cod, pacific saury, all the ones you usually order in a Japanese restaurant, most likely you'll find them in this 88 dishes buffet. They also have Japanese skewers.

Unagi yanagawa (hot pot unagi with egg)

cold soba

Hot soba, udon, garlic rice are available as well.

Tempura platter

Unagi kabayaki (grilled eel)

Apart from the dishes featured here, Tatsu do offers hand roll sushi, a range of cold and hot appetizers, sushi, many other fried dishes like Tori Karage (fried chicken) and bread crumbed fried prawns, mini Sukiyaki.

Goma and macha ice cream (black sesame and green tea ice cream)

assorted mochi and red bean soup with rice dumpling

more ice creams.

I love most of their desserts selections! The black sesame and green tea ice cream are really smooth. We had multiple orders. :D *nom nom* However, we didn't like the mini chocolate fondue. The chocolate fondue came with skewers of fried fruits dices and was just fair.

The mochi has three flavours - sakura, green tea and red bean if I'm not mistaken. :) They were good! The red bean soup is a little too sweet for me. Instead, I requested for macha ice cream with some red bean as topping. :) Try asking the waiter for that if you like redbean coz green tea always goes well with redbean :) Yummy.

the group

the props for photo sessions

the pretty Jess who went to the states with her Mr Ngu :)

Details:

Tatsu @ InterContinental KL, Jalan Ampang

RM98++ per adult, RM49++ per child

Weekends only, lunch and dinner.

Tel: 03-27826118

Do check out their website for updated promotions

http://www.intercontinental-kl.com.my/

Super busy month of September

2012-09-29T13:00:00.000+08:00

It's been a more than a month since my last post, September has been a busy month.

I have been in my Masters research for almost a year, and it's time to show some progress. The supervisor is bugging for more progress, presentations, paper submissions.. all these mean more work, more OT in school. Finally showed some work yesterday, and managed to take some time off to update my blog. Work is boring. :| Shall not talk about work. :}

I'll reveal the little project that I was doing all this while, the one I mentioned earlier here. This close friend of mine is getting married, and I took up the task to do design for the bridesmaid and groomsmen invitation cards and also their Thank you cards for the dinner reception table. Hope the guests like it :)
It was fun working with them!! So happy for them and here's to wish them a lifetime of happiness :).

Feel free to view my humble page in Facebook for these artsy projects :) -->

Details of the process

:) Almost there...

Dashing prince

Divine princess

As for the 'Thank You' cards,.. here you go..

masterpiece :)

little cards on the table

Congratulations again M&J! :)

Sands Sky Park, Singapore

2012-08-21T01:57:00.000+08:00

Here are some of the day view from the Sands Sky Park of Marina Bay Sands.

Instead of getting the ticket for the Sky Park at $20 for each adult, we went for an afternoon drink and snacks at Ku De Ta, Tower 3 Level 57. Diners are allowed into the Sky Park Observation Deck without an admission ticket.

cranberry juice

shoe-string fries and complimentary wasabi chips

Savouring the view with light snack on a sunny afternoon

Gardens by the Bay from the 57th floor

ArtScience Museum

I'm sure the night view will be fantastic as well!~

Series of nom noms during my birthday

2012-08-14T23:20:00.000+08:00

Browsed through my iphone and found some photos of my birthday which had not been posted. Since I have some time off now, I decided to post up these photos.

|photo heavy post| coming up.

Went on a few nom nom sessions with friends on the day before my birthday, on my birthday, and the day after. :)

crepe cakes at Food Foundry with the PGs

Then we had dinner at Prego, Westin KL on my birthday.

lovely bouquet from J&M

photo from Prego

The day after my birthday, had dinner in Kampachi, Pavilion.

set meal with mackarel fish (Saba Shio set)

double sushi roll - Ebitenpura Maki (1/2) + Shake Aburi Maki (1/2)

The best part of the half half sushi is that you get to try both of it, without stuffing yourself with too much. :) Nice! *likes*

Beef teppanyaki set

*super thick cut and fresh* Salmon sashimi

the cute bunny bowl

I'll try to post some detailed food review about the Prego and Kampachi soon. Check back ya!~ :)

Harry Potter : The Exhibition in ArtScience Museum, Singapore

2012-08-03T03:42:00.000+08:00

Super lack of updates although I planned to write more often :(, been busy with research work and I actually took time off for a getaway at Singapore for 4 days in the end of July.

The first post of my recent Singapore trip - The Harry Potter Exhibition.

For the first time, Harry Potter's travelling exhibition arrived in Asia, first stop at Singapore. No news about where's the next destination yet though. I took the opportunity to squeeze this in to the schedule for my recent getaway to Singapore :).

Held in the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands, Harry Potter The Exhibition offers 'a day at Hogwarts' experience to its visitors. Featuring props and authentic costumes from the Harry Potter films, from the 1st to the 8th and final instalment, visitors get to relive the world of the Harry Potter and get a taste of his magic. This exhibition also features all the horcruxes, which include Nagini, Lord Voldemort's serpent.

ArtScience Museum

the magical tickets

the flying Ford Anglia which appear in the second instalment

There are a few settings in the exhibition - in the pre-show, we got to watch a montage of all the Harry Potter films on eight different screens, so you get to refresh your memories :P. There is also the 'Sorting Hat' procedure, where one or two lucky ones are chosen to be sorted into different Hogwarts house (Be quick to volunteer to be sorted). I am one of them and got sorted to Gryffindor! Yeay!

No photographs are allowed in the exhibition halls. At some point of time, a train whistle and the loud roar of Hogwarts Express blared signalling its arrival and we were welcomed by a sight of a replica of the Hogwarts Express.

The few settings in the exhibition includes: The Gryffindor common room & The Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory where you get to see the painting of the Fat Lady, some props and clothes worn by Harry, Ron and Hermione, the Golden Egg, the Marauder's Map etc.

Next is the Hogwarts Classes, we got to experience what the students do in their magical classes, be it Potions, Divination or Defence Against the Dark Arts and others, see the magical artifacts used in lessons and to experience pulling a Mandrake from its pot and listen to its screeching scream.

Experience Quidditch - a popular sport in the wizarding world and visitors also get to toss a Quaffle and see the brooms used in tournaments.

Up next is Hagrid's Hut where you get to experience a recreation of his hut shown in the movie. The furniture inside are enormous as Hagrid is half giant. You can't touch most of the exhibits (apart from the Mandrake), but in here you'll get to sit on Hagrid's giant chair.

You'll then walked into the Forbidden Forest, which is forbidden to students. Encounter the magical creatures which appear in the movies for example the unicorns and giant spiders.

See for yourself what the Dark Forces can do, this setting showcases Lord Voldemort's robes, the Death Eaters, the horcruxes etc. It was really eerie and cold in there.

The final setting is The Great Hall, the main area where the student meets. This is where student eat their meals, receive their owl posts and all the special events are held here. This final setting showcased the props for the Yule Ball, Christmas Celebration, the Great Hall feasts, flags of all four houses at Hogwarts and more.

When you exit, there is a merchandise shop. You can get wands, chocolate frogs, the Marauder map and many other souvenirs here.

merchandises I bought

There are actually more to what you can see than what I have written here. Definitely a must-go to all Potter fans. Harry Potter: The Exhibition will be on from now till 30th September.

Tickets for adults are selling at $24, and $20 for Singapore residents. For more information on ticketing and packages, see here >>.

If you happen to be Sands Rewards Club member, do present your card for a 20% off the tickets price. Check out Sands Rewards Club here.

Japanese ramen in Malaysia

2012-07-10T19:19:00.003+08:00

Recently, I have seen more and more Japanese ramen shops in KL & PJ. It's like a trend, I don't mind it at all, coz I love ramen.

I love the ramen I had in Singapore, there are so many options there - I have tried Ippudo ramen at Mandarin Gallery, and black pig ramen in Tampopo, Takashimaya, both at Orchard Road, and there are more there, I have yet to try. And I'm definitely missing the authentic ramen I had in Tokyo during my trip to Japan, years ago.

I have tried a few of the shops in KL, and some of them I revisited various times. I have listed some of the best one here (the list are in no particular order, as it is hard to say which is the best, each has its hits and misses). This is also based on my opinion, please do leave your comments :)

1) Hokkaido Santouka Ramen at Tokyo Street, Pavilion KL

I revisited Hokkaido Santouka various times, most of the times I dropped by for lunch during some random shopping outings at Pavilion KL. Hokkaido Santouka is a decent Japanese shop which originate from Asahikawa, Hokkaido and the one in KL is one of the franchise, Hokkaido Santouka also has shops in Japan, USA, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Specializes in mild Tonkotsu soup as the base, the ramen there is available in three different type of soups, Shio - the signature soup seasoned with salt, Shoyu- slightly saltier with soysauce and Miso - a mixture of miso (fermented bean curd) paste.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka at Pavilion KL

soup preparation

I always go for the Shio soup and the recommended one here is the Tokusen Toroniku (Pork Cheek) Ramen. Apparently, these pork cheek are valuable since only about 200-300g can be taken from each pig. OMG, it sounded so cruel :( . pity the oinks... @.@

Tokusen Toroniku Shio ramen (small) (RM33.50) and a Komi Tamago (RM2.00)

The Shio ramen always come with an 'ume' (plum). If you want to try the original taste of the soup, it is best to order Shio ramen.

Miso ramen (regular) (RM25.00)

There are three sizes for their basic ramen, small (RM22.50), regular (RM25.00) and large (RM29.00) and three different soup base to choose from, as what I have explained earlier. They also have the Kara-Miso ramen (spicy) at a slightly higher price (additional RM2.00).

The small ramen is just nice for me, the regular one is good for someone with a bigger appetite. The large one has a really huge portion - so only go for it if you're very very hungry (This are all based on my experiences dining with friends, so you may have a bigger appetite as compare to us).

The noodles are good, springy and have the texture I like. The tamago however, are not very consistent, in my few visits, sometimes I get the perfect soft boiled egg, at times I find it overcooked - where the yolk are not soft anymore.

I like the taste of the broth, the depth of the flavour is just nice, not too intense. And I always go for the Shio as it has the most original taste.

Service wise, I had experienced better service when they were still new, with more and more customers now, especially during the weekends, their service level has drop.

So overall,

Taste : *****

Service: ***

Price: on the pricier side

Hokkaido Santouka Ramen

Lot 6.24.03 Level 6 (Tokyo Street),

Pavilion KL,

168 Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 0321438878

2) Marutama Ramen at Fahrenheit 88 & Empire Shopping Gallery

Marutama Ramen specializes in Hakata-style ramen noodle and the difference with other ramen outlets is that they used 100% pure chicken broth with no MSG at all. Marutama has shops not only in Japan, but also in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

You get to choose from the spicy or the non-spicy soup, as I don't really fancy spicy food, I only try the non-spicy version in all my visits there. Their menu is pretty basic, you get to choose how many pieces of char-siu you want, or if you prefer more seaweed, you can go for the ones with two portions of seaweed. The difference in the ramen is usually the top up of tamago, or additional pieces of char-siu. They have options for pork belly and other ala-carte items such as gyoza, rice and set meals too.

Marutama at Fahrenheit 88

Yaki char siu

fried garlic to add to your noodles

Cha-siu ramen with Tamago (RM16.00 +RM2.00)

Yaki gyoza (RM17.00)

The noodles are springy and thin, and the tamago is really good. It has been pretty consistent on my various visits at both outlets, the yolk is still a bit runny, while the egg white are cooked. The best part is that this comes with aosa seaweed topping.

The milky-white chicken soup is flavourful and compliments the noodles and the condiments well. This chicken broth is different from the pork-soup that most ramen stores used, although it is not as depth in flavour as the pork soup and has a lighter taste, but the sweetness and flavour from the chicken can be well tasted in your bowl of hot piping ramen.

Taste: *****

Service: ****

Price: Reasonable

Marutama Ramen

F1.27.01, First Floor,

Fahrenheit 88, KL.

Tel : 03-21411573

LG26, Lower Floor,

Empire Shopping Gallery,

Jalan SS16/1, Subang Jaya.

Tel: 03-56210073

3) Menya Mushahi Ramen at Eat Paradise, Isetan, 1Utama

Eat Paradise at Isetan, 1 Utama features various Japanese eateries and one of it is the Menya Mushahi ramen which is one of the famous ramen shops in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The outlet here at 1 Utama used almost the same system like the one in Japan, where we order before taking our seats. The ones in Japan are way cooler, coz they used a vending machine instead :).

They sent the Master Chef from Shinjuku to start up the operation here in 1 Utama, lucky us! :) Not sure how long these japanese chefs and the Master Chef himself gonna stay here in the Malaysia outlet, but hopefully the service and the taste will maintain. The store is full of positive energy as the chefs and the waitress are all very energetic. If you happen to look closely at the kitchen, every time the chefs drained the noodles, they do a customary cheer. :P

The menu

Menya Mushashi at Isetan 1U

Master Chef Yamaguchi

Gyoza (RM9.00)

Shiro Ajitama Ramen (RM24.00)

Kuro Ajitama Ramen (RM24.00)

Updated: Tried the dry version as well - Tsukemen

Ajitama Tsukemen - Regular (RM25.00)

How to eat Tsukemen :)

The instructions on how to order your favourite bowl of noodles:

Step 1: Choose the flavoured oil

Shiro - onion flavoured oil

Kuro - special oil combined with fried shallots and garlic

Aka - homa made Musashi chilli oil

Step 2: Choose your ramen

Normal ramen

Ajitama ramen - with egg

Chashu ramen - with extra cha siu

Step 3: Pay, wait for your noodles and enjoy!

The noodles are thicker (as compare to the two previous ones) and springy. The broth are incredibly deep in flavour and since I go for the Kuro ramen, it is slightly oily and the slick of oil was just too much towards the end of my meal. The Shiro ramen was much better, less oily. However, do try out the Kuro one as it is one if their signature one, despite being a little oily, it is very aromatic.

The eggs were a little too cook, but since I have only been there once, can't really judge it yet. The gyoza is good as well, and since I have not tried the dry version of their noodles, I'll be back for more.

Taste: ****

Service: **** (Although you pay and order at the counter, the ushers and waitress are friendly and energetic)

Price: OK for the portion

Menya Musashi

Eat Paradise, Level 2,

Isetan, 1 Utama,

Petaling Jaya.

4) Hokkaido Gentetsu at Eat Paradise, Isetan, 1Utama

Gantetsu ramen originate from Hokkaido and specializes in their broth which is call the signature 'Great White Soup'. This shop is just next to Menya Musashi at Eat Paradise 1 Utama.

the menu

King Chashu Miso (RM28.90)

King Chashu Tonkotsu (RM27.90)

Hokkaido Tonkotsu (RM21.90) and Egg (RM2.80)

Okonomiyaki gyoza (RM11.50)

The ramen noodle here is thin and springy and the char siu is fatty and luscious. The char siu are smooth and tasty however, it's a bit too fatty to my liking. I tear out the fatty part since it's quite thick. The slices of char siu are also huge and has a unique taste - may be due to different kind of marinate. However, the soup lacks of flavour and tasted quite bland, although we went for the Intense soup. There were two types of soup flavour to choose from: Regular and Intense. All of us went for the intense one. If you prefer less saltier versions of Hokkaido tonkotsu soup, you can try the one here. The eggs are good though, mine has a soft yolk, cooked egg white and the egg white near the yolk are a little runny but it's the most expensive since most outlets sold theirs at RM2.00.

The okonomiyaki gyoza is different from the normal yaki gyoza, coz this is similar to the Japanese savoury pancake with mayonnaise and bonito flakes.

Finally,

Taste: *** (I prefer my soup with stronger taste)

Service: **** (very friendly staffs)

Price: Quite expensive

Hokkaido Gantetsu Ramen

Eat Paradise, Level 2,

Isetan, 1 Utama,

Petaling Jaya.

That's the end of my super-long post for some of the best ramen I've tasted in Malaysia. It's really hard to say which is the best, really.. go try out for yourself!

P/S : I have also tried Goku Raku Ramen in Midvalley, but maybe I should do a separate post (I want to reserve this post for the ramen I like), because I don't really like the taste of the soup as I find it too oily and I don't fancy the after-taste. :/

10,000 and adding up.

2012-07-08T13:07:00.002+08:00

Yay! My little humble blog reached its first 10,000 hits. A tiny achievement for beaniesspace.
Thank you readers!

I have also added an instagram gallery widget on the right column of my blog. I'll have quick update on yummy food photos and sometimes a little bit on what I love to wear, having an obsession for colour splash and peplum recently.

Love you all!~

Hui Lau Shan is in Malaysia.. Yay to mango desserts!

2012-07-05T18:17:00.002+08:00

The famous Hong Kong dessert chain, Hui Lau Shan has opened its door at 1 Utama Shopping Centre (Old Wing), Times Square and also at Pavilion. Hui Lau Shan is everywhere in Hong Kong, and the last time I was at Hong Kong, it was pretty easy to just locate one of their stores, when you just need the dessert fix.

I dropped by their 1U outlet to try, there were long queues and some of the items were sold out when I ordered (it was in the evening). The menu is quite extensive, I think they have, if not all, almost everything like their HK stores. As far as I remember most of those I tried in Hong Kong they have it here. I had it almost every day in HK, since it's literally everywhere, it's so convenient to hop into one, I remembered there was one opposite my hotel :P. They have seasonal items in HK though, I don't know if they have it here.

I wanted to order the Mango Icy Sweet Balls & Mango Icy with Crystal Jelly, but both were sold out, so I opted for Mango in Coconut Juice and Pomelo and Mango Icy Coconut Noodles.

Hui Lau Shan in 1U

the menu

Mango in Coconut Juice and Pomelo

Mango Icy Coconut Noodles (RM9.90)

the queue

Both were good, but I prefer the the one with the coconut noodles coz the coconut 'noodles' are so smooth :P. Hui Lau Shan serves healthy, fresh fruits (specializes in mango, as most of the dessert has mango in it) dessert, so it's OK to indulge in them :P.

Now, Malaysians don't have to travel to Hong Kong for yummy desserts!

Address: Hui Lau Shan,

FK107 / First Floor, Old Wing,

1 Utama Shopping Centre.

Pledge to “Live Green” through WWF: Save Wildlife, Save Ourselves

2012-07-01T22:54:00.001+08:00

Have you sign your pledge to 'Live Green'? You can do this little step to save the ecosystem and protect the wildlife for the future.

Stop procrastinating, do it now. The current one is to pledge to not consume turtle parts or eggs, and support amending Malaysian laws to fully ban the sale and consumption of all turtle eggs. Let's all help the cute turtles.
Click on the banner on the right of my blog which says 'Pledge to Live Green' to sign your pledge today!

Do check out WWF website here to see how your pledge can help save the WORLD :P :P.

Do your part to help conserve the ecosystem of marine or forests which in turn protect our fresh water, ecological services and well being. Help to protect these endangered species for our future, stop illegal wildlife trade and stop the sale and consumption of turtle eggs.

You can also help by donating or 'adopting' the animals. I have done my part during their recent booth set up at Sunway Pyramid. Check my post here >>.

Hello Summer..Hello July!

2012-07-01T03:24:00.000+08:00

June appear to be super fast-paced.. It feels like May just passed. Nevertheless,

HELLO JULY! Hoping to have a good month.

School semester is starting on the 23rd July, and I'm taking up lab sessions again, will be tied down for a semester, until November. And this time, according to the schedule, I'm taking the Friday classes 3 - 6pm. Oh, it's Friday give us a break!! :)

June was great, had a photo-shoot session with my mom at The Picture Company in Empire Shopping Gallery. It was an out-of-the-blue thing as I recalled having a complimentary voucher from ESG the month before. Service is good and our photographer, Jace is friendly. However, the prints are on the expensive side, a 8R print, 8"x10" cost RM78. My voucher gives me a complimentary shooting session and a 5R print. Will get the photos in about a week's time, I only have the low resolution files, here are one of the fews we took.

during shooting, our photographer Jace (weren't supposed to be snapping our own photos during the session though :P)

I'm wishing for a fruitful July for my research and I want to steal some time for a short getaway again! I'm thinking of Singapore.... Oh well, Have a great July!~

Mark your calendars for Buy 1 Free 1 Subway

2012-06-25T15:48:00.005+08:00

Mark your calendars this Wednesday, 27 June 2012 for Buy 1 free 1* Subway, in Malaysia only. I saw this on my Facebook newsfeed and thought I can share it out here to let my readers know~

So, here's my lunch for this Wednesday, I'm guessing the queue should be pretty long :P

*Buy a 6-inch subway and get a lower or equal value sub free!

*Not applicable for Sub of the Day

Road trip to Sekinchan

2012-06-18T12:19:00.000+08:00

Made a detour through the coastal roads on the way back from hometown to drop by at Sekinchan for a half day trip. The weather was perfect, blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Very sunny, indeed.

Sekinchan was made popular to tourists and city folks after the local Chinese drama 'The Seeds of Life'. The large green 'field', sometimes golden brown when it is near harvesting and blue sky are perfect for photography.

the grains

the big yellow machine - harvesting machine

yellow machine in a distant

the tractor and the harvesting machine

aqueduct in the paddy field

9 Emperor God temple which appear in the drama

From the main road, after the signboard of Sekinchan, you can make a left turn (coming from the North), or if you're coming from KL then it's right turn after seeing Site B, or Jalan Tali Air 5. You'll come into these paddy fields and can drive next to it.

If you like to visit the paddy processing plants or buy some pearl rice, go ahead on Jalan Tali Air 5 to a paddy processing factory, PLS Marketing. It's hard to miss with the tour buses which frequents the place.

I stopped by for lunch at Restoran Guan Seng Long at Bagan Sekinchan. Bagan Sekinchan is on the other side of the road, opposite the place where you turn in for paddy fields. Look out for signboard for Jalan Bagan Sekinchan. There are a lot of eateries down the road of Jalan Bagan Sekinchan.

sotong with curry powder (RM11)

shark meat soup (RM12)

mantis shrimp with salted egg yolk (RM11)

Vegetables (RM6)

All these with drinks and rice for only RM47.60. I don't think I can get any dishes like this in KL for that price. Yummy and cheap!

After lunch, we drove down Jalan Bagan Sekinchan to the fishing villages.

fishing village at Sekinchan

fishing boats of the men

calm village after the busy hours

The next attraction at Sekinchan is the Redang beach. Went there at about 4-5pm, and it was low-tide, so no pretty beach for me. I'll be back next time to see the beautiful sunset.

Drive along the way and pass through the fishing villages and a chinese temple, the left turn to Redang beach is before a Malay eatery, and you'll see a sign which says Pantai Redang.

tree houses at the beach

low tide beach

sunset view at Redang beach (source from www.sekinchan.org)

Sekinchan make a good day trip for city folks like us, to just leave behind the hustle bustle of the city. :)

Happy Father's Day!

2012-06-17T02:17:00.003+08:00

Happy Father's Day to all daddies out there :)

I love you papa.. :)

Weekend Premiere of London, The Summer Musical at Sunway Lagoon

2012-06-04T00:13:00.002+08:00

I had the opportunity to attend the weekend premiere of the London, Summer Musical show at Sunway Lagoon's amphitheater. It's an event for Sunway Property pals and tickets are courtesy of Sunway Property.

I managed to capture some photos with my iphone, so here they are. :)

the stage and set up of the 'little London'

The Savoy Hotel, London

opening of the show

ending performance

Sunway Lagoon had been hosting a few musicals from West End Production which include the Magical Musicals and Peter Pan the Musical last year. They are all amazing!

The choreography for this year's Summer Musical is so energetic and the dancers are really talented, with very good vocal too.

The London Musical starts off by with three chirpy stewardesses who have 48 hours in London before flying off again. They gave up their dreams of singing to do travelling and through finding love and romance in London, they rediscover their passion for singing and performing.

You'll be entertained with hit songs from the 70s including tracks from Mamma Mia, Glee, The Lion King, James Bond movies and many more. I lost track of how many songs were featured in this musical, but they were all good. :)

Some funny moments are included in the show with short appearances of The Phantom of Opera, Harry Potter and ET. Go watch it and be amazed :)

The show has two session with 10minutes break in between and lasted for about 2 hours.

A great show to catch if you're a fan of musicals, dance and songs!

London, The Summer Musical by West End Production will be playing at Sunway Lagoon from 1st June - 8th July 2012.

Daily shows (except Tuesdays) at 8pm, and tickets are from RM80.

Thanks Sunway PALS!~

For more information and ticketing:

http://www.sunwaylagoon.com/whatsnew_Ltsm.asp

Updated: From now until 1st July 2012, if you happen to be shopping in Sunway Pyramid (the Mega Sales just started last Friday, if you are not aware yet :P), there are free London, The Summer Musical tickets up for grab if you spend RM500 in 3 accumulated receipts*.

Check it out here.

* T&C applies.

Supporting WWF at Sunway Pyramid booth

2012-05-27T22:58:00.004+08:00

Have you heard of WWF? I'm sure you have heard of it.

Recently they've been setting up booths in GSC cinemas, seeking for signatures, and the latest I saw is at Sunway Pyramid, and they're selling Panda t-shirts! For the school holidays, Sunway Pyramid and WWF came up with some environmental awareness activities for the kids which are the Turtle Talk and Dance with Panda workshop.
As for me, I've decided to support them and got myself a T-shirt and a car sticker.

It's a pretty cute T-shirt, the back of it has the back of a panda :) And since I've bought a few pastel-coloured jeans and shorts, this white-beige t-shirt matches the colour well.

Below, I'm wearing my Zara shorts in peach-pink! :) The ladies baby tee are selling at RM39.90!~

front back

It's time to create awareness in saving the animals and the environment for a better future. This is a great activity to be introduced during the school holidays so that we can instill the love for animals into the minds of younger generations!~

Loving the cute pandas!~

P/S: They are having cute turtles T-shirt on sale next week :)

The B.I.G. Weekend for yummy food at Publika

2012-05-27T20:05:00.000+08:00

Publika at Solaris Dutamas is the new buzz for yummy eateries, with its arty and creative spaces. Apart from that, they also have the first B.I.G. (Ben's Independent Grocers), a place you can find almost everything for your everyday essentials, with local and a variety of imported goodies.

The BIG Group had an exciting barn-style, food stalls and games for the weekend (26-27th May).

I attended the BIG BBQ on Sunday afternoon at The Square, Publika's outdoor auditorium. We have to purchased coupons to buy food within the stalls, coupons are at nomination of RM5 and RM10. The food and beverage prices ranges from RM5-RM15, pretty affordable.

Publika's The Square

grilled lamb and chicken wings

grilled sausages

the drinks @ RM5 and RM10 each

beef burger patties

beef burger @ RM10

hot dog @ RM10

The beef patty is nicely done, juicy and tender, it was flavorful although I did not add on any sauces.

The hot dog bun comes with a juicy sausage and the minced chili beef compliments it well. Best of it, both are reasonably priced. Nom nom!

Wagyu beef brisket @ RM15

Assorted sausages @ RM10

Desserts! Chocolate brownie and chocolate/cinnamon Churros @ RM 5 each

complimentary coupons with RM50 coupon stack

chocolate brownie

churros

Yummy chocolate brownie and churros. So chocolatey, although the brownie would be perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

It's been a while since I went to any of this food-festival thing, I remember we used to have a lot of this during secondary school days - canteen days and food fest. It's so fun to buy food with coupons and you get to eat in the outdoor area. Lucky today wasn't too hot and it's pretty windy, perfect weather for an outdoor food FEAST. :)

BIG Group has come out with very creative eateries - I'm also loving Plan B breakfast :) :) And in Publika there is Journal by Plan B which I have yet to try.

Do drop by Publika if you can't think of what to eat, coz they have a LOT to offer.

Publika

Solaris Dutamas,

Jalan Dutamas 1,

50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Heart-shaped red light :)

2012-05-22T01:15:00.000+08:00

Saw a few of these in Sunway. Heart shaped red light~

Anyone noticed it? If you have not, it probably means that you're not stopping when the traffic light turned red :P

Is this enough to create awareness for road users to stop when it's red? Something for us to ponder.

Long hiatus

2012-04-29T23:36:00.000+08:00

Hello readers!

Sorry for MIA for a while. I've been pretty busy with research in school, catching up with friends during the weekend, and completing a little project for a friend, well two actually. :)

Here's a teaser :

will you go to dinner with me? :P

I'll probably only reveal the real design once it's all sent out. so stay tune u guys :)

Have you seen MUJI at Pavilion, KL?

2012-04-16T13:51:00.001+08:00

I dropped by at Muji on Saturday, yeay! they are finally here. With more of these brands (eg: Sephora, Uniqlo) coming to Malaysia, (H&M is opening soon TOO!), we're finally narrowing the gap of shopping in Singapore and right here in our country.

Muji sells brandless goods which are of good quality and cares for the environment. So green-product lovers, here you go!!~

Muji has almost everything, from your everyday basic skincare necessities eg : make up brushes, travel size cream containers... , to clothings, stationeries, household items and simple furniture and storage space. Muji products have simple design yet I can see the versatility in it.

There are various items there which I think are so super useful - the small plastic containers for your moisturiser, eye cream etc, they are connected to each other, and its so versatile that you get to choose how many you want to bring out each time you go travel.
Think my description is not good enough.. :P have a look at the photo I managed to get from MUJI website. Sorry I didn't manage to take any photos. :P

Adapted from MUJI online store

Cool rite? :P

And also I'm loving their travel case, simple and yet come in various sizes and design to suit our needs.

They have DIY pen too, choose your own ink colors and fit it into the pen holder- and voila! your unique pen based on your needs.

They have much more than what I describe here, do drop by and have a look. :)

Address:

MUJI

5.10 Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

This post is not meant as an advertorial, just an opinion from me, who had visited the store recently. :)

Spa Village experience at Cameron Highlands Resort

2012-04-13T18:25:00.002+08:00

As I have previously booked for my Signature Spa session, I check in at the Spa Village soon after my afternoon-tea. Always pre-book your spa session as they're quite full at times, and do check in early at the reception so that you can fully enjoy your session. :) :)

me at the spa reception

warm towel and tea

outside the treatment room

the room for resting after the tea-bath before you adjourn to the 2nd step of your session

wet evening at the Spa Village

In Spa Village Cameron Highlands Resort, tea is the foundation for all their experiences. All guests enjoys a signature tea-bath before their treatment (50minutes and above treatment). I went for the 2 hours Signature Spa and I chose the Strawberry Escapade. Strawberries are believed to bring relief from depression and helps you to relax, apart from its well known healing properties.

You'll need to change into their 'sarong' before the session. My tea bath was prepared using tea leaves and fresh strawberry. There are three different scrubs for you during the tea bath - scrub for your body, a separate scrub for your face and lime slices for your elbow and knee. There is also two round tea bags to be placed on your eyes to relieve stress.

Once you immersed yourself in the tub full of this tea goodness, you know you're in for relaxation. If you wish to enjoy some soft music, there is a headphone next to the tub. Heavenly~

While I was having my dip, the rain is pouring outside and I felt so grateful to be indoors, in the warm water tub. My elbow and knee immediately felt softer after scrubbing, with the lime slices. I shall try this at home occasionally.

After the tea bath, I was told to rest at a resting room with a heart-shaped warmer, either to be place on your chest or tummy.

The staff then picked me up for my next session which is the Strawberry Body Polish. The body buff is made of fresh strawberries, yoghurt and crushed oatmeal. This body polish session can help to soften and refine skin texture. After scrubbing, I was wrapped in a warm foil for a few minutes. The long strokes used by the staff during the polish/scrub session was really relaxing. I was then told to take a warm bath before my massage. The staff in Spa Village totally makes you feel comfortable throughout the session and the treatment rooms come well equipped with a bathroom and a toilet.

If you book in for other ala carte treatments, you're even allowed to test out the aroma oil and choose the one you like most for your massage. Mine is fix though, but I didn't mind it a bit. The staff there did showed it to me prior to my treatment, so if you don't like the smell, I'm sure they're willing to do some changes.

The Strawberry Aroma Massage uses long strokes and massage techniques which blends touch and aroma to create a sense of soothing pleasure. It was so relaxing that I felt asleep halfway through the massage. My skin felt rehydrated after the massage session. I was told to leave on the oils and the staff suggested that I should only bath an hour after.

Upon completion of the spa session, I was back at the spa reception for some hot tea. I get to choose the tea flavour I want, it was then serve with some cookies and strawberry jam. Everything there has strawberry in it..~ :)

after my pampering session

Tea of your choice, and cookies with strawberry jam

Ah.. so relaxing and blissful!~~

Address:

Spa Village Cameron Highlands,

39000 Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands.

Telephone: +605-4911100

Email : spavillagech@ytlhotels.com.my