“For centuries, mankind have migrated from one place to another, in hopes of finding better opportunities. But no matter where they are, or how far they have come in life, they will always come home. This Chinese New Year, let’s celebrate the virtues that bind us all together — the spirit of resilience, determination and adaptability in turning challenges into opportunities and seeing the positive in the negative.“

Among others, the stories revolve around a dentist in India celebrating the new year with his family in his home country via Skype, and a young woman forced to celebrate the festival while working two jobs to make ends meet in London.

The story of the young Chinese girl in London celebrates the Lunar New Year with the customers she serves, is arguably the most heart warming of the bunch! The feeling of ‘coming home’ to your loved ones on special occasions is like no other, as many who will be battling the horrific traffic to reach their respective destinations this upcoming holiday weekend can attest to. In that regard, ‘Coming Home’ encapsulates the very core of any holiday season which is the simple warmth of home.

Let me know what do you think of the commercial?

——

This Petronas commercial was actually being released during their launch event held in KLCC just few days ago.

Petronas Group Senior General Manager Corporate Affairs Division, Datuk Mohammad Medan Abdullah said this year’s commercial would bring a breath of fresh air into Petronas’ approach to the festive campaign.

“We have moved away from the narrative approach that we had adopted in our past commercials and this time, we want viewers to understand the underlying messages through visual poetry. TVC also incorporates the spirit of perseverance, adaptability and determination captured in each of the stories. This energy is something that should inspire us all as we navigate through life.“

——

In line with its TVC, a photography contest themed ‘Reimagining Energy’, in collaboration with Leica Camera AG is also ongoing. Contestants have the chance to win exciting cash prizes and have their photographs exhibited at Galeri Petronas in KLCC. All YOU have to do is to submit snapshots of Chinese New Year celebrations that best portray the spirit of ‘Reimagining Energy’.

For more info, check out the photography contest page on Facebook HERE

——

I’d like to end this post with a pleasant CNY holiday wish to all my readers, especially those ‘silent’ ones who doesn’t comment or anything but I still see you visiting my site even though it’s not being updated frequently haha.

Happy Chinese New Year & have a great holiday everyone!

Gong Hei Fatt Choi, Ang Pao Kia Lai! :p

Wong Fu Productions (WFP) will be visiting Malaysia on February 4th, 2012 @ Taylor’s University as part of their WFP Southeast Asia Tour!

Like seriously… If you don’t know them, you should go check out WongFuProductions YouTube channel and their videos will self-explain to you on why are they such a hype all around. The WFP founders – Wesley Chan, Ted Fu and Philip Wang have been making viral videos since 2003, before the start of YouTube. They’re a rising independent production company that has been at the forefront as an influential pioneer in utilizing new media distribution and creating projects with a positive message. They have been featured at a number of national and international film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival. They now have millions of fan base across the United States as well as around the world, working full-time creating online content, designing their own merchandises, and producing with other companies and artists with the recent being international pop star, Wang Lee Hom.

Okay I know you guys want the deets, so here it is:

Brought to you by M.E. Malaysia…

Wong Fu Productions will lead the two outstanding sessions that celebrates their work while defining who they are and showcasing why they are an inspiration to millions of fans. The first session (Mini Symposium) is aimed at early-career filmmakers, curious fans and film & video students, attendees will be given a rare opportunity to ask more about Wong Fu Productions’ professional development. The second session (Wong Fu For LYFE!) is the event you cannot miss! The boys will be giving a presentation as well as showing some of their recent and upcoming projects. They will be answering all our Q&As as well as a Meet & Greet session with the audience.

Certainly can’t wait for them to come! See you there?

Stay tuned to Inspire.ME Facebook for more info!

Who knows you might be able to win some tickets here on my blog as well? Yeahh, who knows right…

I have my favourite brands when it comes to buying pen; Paper Mate is one of them. Remember those Kilometrico ballpens? Those are pretty darn cheap yet long-lasting man! Back then it used to be like what, 50-80 cents each? It was quite value for money and because of Kilometrico ballpen, Paper Mate had gained my trust and reliability when deciding which pen to bring into the examination hall during test, which pen to recommend friends to buy, which pen to use for drawing and so forth.

And just recently, I had received a bundle of Paper Mate InkJoy pens to tryout! If I was still in high school, I would have cried to joy receiving so many pens with different colours for my own usage! Really… I really love having to see new pens in my stationary case, it gives me a sense of INKJOYfulness; don’t you too? :’)

The beautiful colours of Paper Mate InkJoy with different sizes – this is a new product line from PaperMate which are designed to be a lot smoother to write with than your standard ballpoint pen.

Although I have been a huge fan of PaperMate Kilometrico pens, I still wasn’t completely satisfied with the way it sits in the hand; it’s kinda skinny (like me lol) to be a truly comfortable pen to use. Especially during school exams, I would struggle a little with the Kilometrico because I’ll get a ‘pen mark’ on my fingers after using it non-stop for a few hours writing essays. Don’t get me wrong, they’re one of the best, affordable, long-lasting pens I have used! But fret not, I think PaperMate acknowledged the issue and their latest PaperMate InkJoy range eliminates that problem! InkJoy is a new inking system that mixes “optimized writing tips” with “ultra-low viscosity inks”. It is a great little pen, cheap and cheerful with a range of colours to satisfy any pen enthusiasts. It glides across the page without leaving messy blobs of ink, require less pressure to write with and is comfortable enough to use when writing.

———

InkJoy 100

Features a triangular shape for comfort. Available in both clear and transparent colour-tinted bodies for classic or fresh and modern look.
(RM1.00/pc)

InkJoy 100 RT

Features a triangular shape for comfort with a retractable tip for convenience. The colourful tinted body and white refill give the pen a refreshing look.
(RM1.20/pc)

InkJoy 300 RT

A retractable pen that features an extended rubberized grip for optimal comfort and a metal clip for durability.
(RM1.50/pc)

InkJoy 700 RT

The perfect blend of understand elegance and modern style. Sporting solid metal accents which provide long-lasting durability, a retractable pen that features an integrated contour grip to provide both comfort and control while writing.
(RM3.90/pc)

.

After using these pens for quite some time, I conclude that I do quite like these Paper Mate InkJoy pens and would recommend anyone who often uses ballpoints to give them a try. Probably you could get the InkJoy 100 if you see one; if you like it, pick up the InkJoy 300 or InkJoy 700 as your everyday pen because I think you’d like them if InkJoy 100 is your choice. My personal favourite? PaperMate InkJoy 300 RT because it has variety of colours that would make my notes much more interesting and JOYful!

Anyway, let me know if any of you wanna try out these Paper Mate InkJoy pens because I certainly can’t be finishing them all by myself. Sharing is caring!

Also, let’s join the InkJoy PicBadge Creative Awards Contest on Paper Mate Malaysia Facebook and See How It Feels™! The contest will run through 6th January 2012 till 2nd February 2012, stand a chance to win cash prizes + awesome goodie bags! Who knows you might get a big bag full of InkJoy pen variants too? I think that’s pretty awesome, so let’s join together!

Jorge Lorenzo began riding motorbikes at home at the tender age of three and within months of taking to two wheels was competing in his first minicross races. In 1995, aged eight, he won the Balearic title and followed that up the following year by taking the Island’s minicross, trial, minimoto and junior motocross titles. The precocious teenager, once again showing that age was no limit to a quick rise up the ranks of motorbike racing, made his first foray onto the world stage with Derbi at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez in 2002, the third round of the season. The 2008 Rookie of the Year, Jorge Lorenzo made an immediate impact on the MotoGP World Championship with a stunning first five races. The Fiat Yamaha rider took pole for his first ever premier class race –becoming the first man to do so since Max Biaggi ten years previously- and finished second on his debut in an astounding performance. He followed up the feat with pole at the next two races, becoming the first rider to go `three from three´ in his rookie season and turning both top spots into podium finishes.

A colourful character that is fond of theatrics, Lorenzo has a tendency for exuberant post-race celebrations, which make him a popular figure with the fans. Appearing as a Gladiator, as a boxer and planting ‘Lorenzoland’ flags at Grand Prix where he has conquered are all part of the show.
His nickname ‘Por Fuera’, is an allusion to a flamboyant philosophy and references his outside overtaking manoeuvre enacted on Dani Pedrosa when he claimed his first GP win in Brazil.

Wait for the third episode next week! I’m sure many of us would know or at least heard of this person who’s gonna be featuring in the next episode!
(Hint: Former Ferrari F1 Champion)

Ben Spies is no stranger to MotoGP. This season sees him continuing his journey within the Yamaha family. After a hugely successful first year in MotoGP in 2010 with the Tech3 Yamaha Team, Ben Spies took the well earned Rookie of the Year title, ending the season as not just the highest placed rookie rider, but the highest placed satellite rider with sixth in the standings. Ben Spies continued to display the form that won him the 2009 World Superbike Championship, adapting quickly to unknown tracks and scoring an impressive pole position start for his home race at Indianapolis along with two podium finished over the year. This season the young Texan steps up to partner reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, riding together for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team.

There will be 3 episodes featured within the coming 3 weeks, looking forward to watch the next video already! Who’s going to be featured next? Guess… I had already mentioned his name in this blogpost

Remember to check out PETRONAS MOTORSPORTS Facebook page to be updated with their latest campaigns & events, as well as the new videos uploaded on their YouTube channel too!

The United Buddy Bears promote living together in peace and harmony on their global tour. Attended the launch of the United Buddy Bears exhibition at Pavilion KL few days ago, under the patronage of the Sultan of Selangor as well as with the support of the Kuala Lumpur Mayor, Tan Sri Ahmad Fuad Ismail.

Spotted some of the happening bloggers there too, now let’s see who…

143 bears are being displayed right at the entrance of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Bukit Bintang. There will be numerous charity activities taking place during the weeks of the exhibition. The programme of activities will include visits of children from various homes and schoolchildren, colouring activities for children as well as an auction of some of the life-size United Buddy Bears at the end of the exhibition to raise funds for Malaysian children charities.

Art and Culture:
Each Buddy Bear shows the individual design created by different artists on behalf of their native countries. The international artists’ different styles are joined together in one work of art, spreading zest for life. The diverse design of the Buddy Bears – always typical for the respective countries – enables the visitors to experience a journey around the globe.

Message:
The Buddy Bears stand together “hand in hand”, symbolising the future vision of a peaceful world. Each bear stands for the people of the different countries and their culture, yet not for political systems.

Charity:
Buddy Bear activities and aid for children in need have formed an inseparable unit. To date, around €1,800,000 (November 2011) have been raised through donations and auctions in aid of UNICEF and local children’s relief organisations.

.

Do drop by and check out the United Buddy Bear within these two months! Try and spot the Malaysian Buddy Bears, take a picture and Twitpic it to me (@bryanlyt)!

Let’s unite and make this world a better place!

With the non-stop heavy beats and sound, Far East Movement had the crowd at the venue pumping whole night long. The show was opened by various DJ performers such as DJ Crystal, DJ Junior, DJ Ken, DJ Jakeman, and with DJ Earworm closing off the show for the LA Bass group. The Dirty Bass finally kicked off and took on the stage at a much delayed timing but it was all worth the wait for most of us!

Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif, DJ Virman and the rest of their crew kept the energy going high throughout the performance with their awesome blend of hip-hop, pop, electro and dance music.

Truth to be told, I didn’t really pay much attention to Far East Movement‘s music apart from their chart-topping tunes. After the show, I’m sold – I’m a fan of their sick mix (DJ Virman does some sick mixtapes his own too, ranging from hip-hop, dance, pop, dubstep, etc. Go check it out!)

One of the best live shows everrrr!

Thanks SocialCentric & Universal Music Malaysia for the exclusive passes! Before you leave, check out my video below:

Come back again, Far East Movement 2012!

SPRITZER Mini Dispenser is definitely perfect for home, office, campus room, hotel guest rooms, basically everywhere – you name it! Like I said, being the lazy bum that I am, now that I have this in my room, I don’t have to go ALL the way to the kitchen to get some water anymore. I realized how important hydration is to our body and having this SPRITZER Mini Dispenser in my room makes it so much easier! One of the things that appeals to me the most is its light-weighted body which makes it so much easier to carry around. Since I travel a lot and always out and about most of the time, SPRITZER Mini Dispenser portability allows me to have SPRITZER‘s premium water in just a fingertip away! How cool is that? By the way, if you think having to change the water bottles on the dispenser is a tedious job, fret not! I can assure you it’s really simple like 1, 2, 3! I did it myself, and seriously guys, it’s not rocket science at all. Any tom dick and harry can do it, and cheers to the JOY – there is no need to boil water and waiting for it to cool down anymore! Waheyyyy

Another plus point of the SPRITZER Mini Dispenser is its price affordability. Priced at ONLY RM32.90 for 1 dispenser with 2 complementary bottles, it makes owning this product much easier – especially for a student like myself! To replace the bottles, you can get SPRITZER premium water at RM13.95 for 6 litre bottles / RM20.00 for 9.5 litre bottles. You can get this awesome product at ALL Giant Hypermarkets, 99 Speedmart, Aeon Jusco, and Esso/Mobil petrol kiosk outlets. BTW, you can totally jazz up your room with the SPRITZER Mini Dispenser too because it comes with cool colours – Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, Green and Navy Blue! Multi-coloured baby!

—

Another amazing line that I have been a huge fan of is the TINGE by Spritzer. As you all have read on my previous TINGE Save The Stars post, it comes with either Lemon or Fruit Fusion flavours. I, personally adore the Fruit Fusion flavour! I swear, I have never expected clear water to taste THIS good. By the way, I urge people who do not fancy sweet drinks to not worry as TINGE is only mildly sweetened.

As you guys know, I love playing sports and any outdoor activities. So, as a sports enthusiast myself, water is vital for regulating temperature, lubricating joints and transporting nutrients and waste throughout the body – what people (including my mom!) usually emphasize on. And TINGE is perfect for people like me! I love the fact that it is non-carbonated and non-coloured. I have been looking for a healthier choice of drink with a tinge of refreshing taste all these while especially during sports activities and I am super happy that TINGE is the way to go! I remember trying this drink out after having a long day of futsal and it tasted refreshingly tasty!

Also, I asked my followers on Twitter whether they have tried TINGE and what are their feedbacks…

Thanks all whom replied my query late night haha.

I’m a person who prefers change and things that are out of the ordinary – thus, TINGE basically gives me just that! It is trendy and exciting. I can finally kiss the ol’ plain and boring mineral water goodbye now!

For more info, check out these links:
http://www.spritzer.com.my/
http://www.facebook.com/Spritzer.Tinge

The Japanese Restaurant is a great location; being situated on the 10th floor of Sunway Putra Hotel, it provides a stunning view of Kuala Lumpur’s skyline in its avant-garde restaurant setting. Sushi and sashimi were plated beautifully, the hot dishes were pretty much fusion-nisque as I don’t think they’re all Japanese cuisine, Teppanyaki section was good as you get to pick out the ingredients you want and let the chef do the ‘dirty’ work for you, and they have pretty good selection of fruits, cakes and ice-cream at the dessert section. I didn’t try the cold section though, with the cold soba, udon n other cold dishes, not really a fan of it.

Just give you a taster of what to expect, here is a shortened list on what is offered:

Sashimis
Freshly cut salmon, maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), cuttlefish, butterfish, oysters, tiger prawns and half shell scallops

Seafood on Ice and Salads
Marinated jellyfish, baby octopus, salmon carpaccio and edamame

Hand rolls
Unagi Roll, California Temaki, Prawn and Avocado Maki, Inari Sushi, Kanimaki, Salmon Mayo Maki, Ebikko Maki, Spider Roll, Vietnamese Temaki, Angry Roll, Caterpillar Roll, Dynamite Roll and Volcano Roll

Soups and Hot Sides
Miso soup, gobo supu, chawan mushi

Assorted Tempuras
Seafood and vegetables

Teppanyaki
Tiger prawns, mussels, chicken, beef strip loin, fish fillets and assorted mushrooms and vegetables

Robatayaki
Sanma, saba, oysters, shisamo, quail eggs, sweet corn, unagi, bacon rolls, shiitake and cocktail sausages

Nabemono (claypot)
Seafood and vegetables

Hot Mains
Garlic Fried Rice, Chicken Katsu, Chicken Teriyaki, Stir-fried Black Pepper Udon, Cabbage Rolls, Stuffed Mushrooms, Grilled Stingray with Miso Paste, Stuffed Crabs, Japanese Style Braised Beef with Radish, Grilled Squid with Cheese Sauce, Lamb with Miso Sauce, Braised Beef Balls and Seafood Gyoza, in addition to Yaki Ramen, Yaki Udon (fried noodles) and Yaki Gohan (fried rice)

Desserts
Pumpkin Pudding, Warabi Mochi, Soybean Cheesecake, Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Bean Paste, Assorted Jellies and Fruit Custards, fresh cut mixed fruits, assortment of French Pastries and oriental-inspired sweets such as the thirst-quenching Longan with Honey Sea Coconut and Snow Fungus andLotus Paste Pancakes.

Drink
Green Tea – Hot or Cold

If you’re living in KL, The Japanese Restaurant would be one of the quality places where you can partake their Japanese Buffet Dinner, available every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at RM82++ (adult) and RM41++ (child). From tempting appetizers to satisfying desserts from the Land of the Rising Sun, I’m sure the sixty over dishes at The Japanese Restaurant will entice your palate. With a seating capacity of 150 guests and 5 private tatami rooms overlooking a landscaped garden, the place is also popular with Japanese food lovers who would like to have their private occasions/events to be held at The Japanese Restaurant.

Operation hours are from 12 noon – 2.30pm for lunch and 6.30pm – 10.30pm for dinner. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and for lunch on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. If you’d like to make a reservation, kindly call 03-4042 9888 (ext. 1011) OR email enquirysph@sunwayhotels.com

Just FYI, I Love Discounts will be featuring another deal for The Japanese Restaurant very soon! Stay tuned

Little did I know that TINGE is a mineral water, but with extra flavours! It comes with either Lemon of Fruit Fusion taste, so no more drinking boring plain water taste anymore. In fact, if you’re thinking it’s just another carbonated flavoured drink then you’re wrong. I thought so too, but found out that TINGE is non-carbonated, non-coloured, mildly sweetened mineral water drink! Now, this is the drink that all of you should start trying out now if you haven’t, simply exciting and trendy!

If that doesn’t brings up any interest for you to try out TINGE, here’s something…

Participate in the TINGE Save The Stars contest and stand a chance to win awesome prizes! They’re giving away THREE (3) Samsung Galaxy Tablet as well as SEVEN (7) Canon Ixus 115 HS as prizes!

All you need to do is to

1. Join Spritzer TINGE Facebook Page
2. Purchase and enjoy your bottle of TINGE
3. Try your luck in the TINGE Save The Stars flash game
4. Key in the serial number of your TINGE label (eg: 12345678)
5. Start saving stars! Lol.

Just try to save Gary or Shila by controlling their movements to help them escape the bouncing balls while gaining as many points as you can. Get to the top 10 highest scores, and you stand a chance to win a fabulous prize!

Contest ends on 4th December 2011, so hurry before it ends! Let me know what’s your score so that I can beat you hehe!