Best Food Forward at Island Holiday Hub

As mentioned in my earlier post, I would be at Tariks Lobby Lounge of The Magellan Sutera Resort as part of the 200 guests invited for its inaugural Gourmet Fest 2013. How did the evening score? Well, it was reasonably impressive and fun.

The setting was simple; the Lounge was divided into three corners with each of the three participating restaurants occupying a corner each. Chinese restaurant Silk Garden of The Pacific Sutera Hotel was at left, Italian restaurant Ferdinand’s of The Magellan Sutera Resort at right and Malay-Indian restaurant Spice Garden of The Sutera Harbour Marina & Country Club took centre spot.

Fantastic drinks, great ambience, friendly staffs.

When my friends and I arrived, I heard some guests commenting that in terms of décor, Silk Garden scored 1st. The fierce-looking lion sculpture seemed to be guarding the spot and female wait staffs dressed in body-fitting red cheongsam were enough to pull in the crowd.

Spice Island was charming and rustic with the elephant sculpture, the trishaw and the simple, true-to-life old-styled Malay-Indian stalls. And, having the Guest Chef himself sweating behind the stove left a very good impression among guests.

Ferdinand’s however was a little simple and bright. I was expecting a more romantic setting – dim lights, a few petals of pink roses on the tables maybe. And most times I only saw in-house chef, Daniele Rossetto preparing the food. Probably Chef Carmelo’s surprise will be on Ferdinand’s Host Night itself. Some friends gave different reviews on Ferdinand’s offering and friends who tried some of the items showcased were impressed with the risotto.

Chef Carmelo Greco (top, centre) and Chef Daniele Rossetto (bottom, right).

When it comes to food, my preference is on Malay and Indian, Italian (depending on dishes and my mood) and Chinese (occasionally). So it’s obvious that I zoomed in on Spice Island, shook hands with Guest Chef, Chef S K Sabuddin and the rest of the team manning the station and tried out most of the items featured. The verdict – mostly delicious except for the Samosas, which were fried too brown. But flavour wise, everything scored high, especially the Fish Tikka, which had just about the right amount of spiciness in it. Good on its own, even better with the Murtabak.

Spice Island - Chef S K Sabuddin busy making Murtabak and pretty girls dresssed in traditional Indian costumes.

 

 

 

Many of the guests were actually circling the Silk Garden spot from the start of the event but when we finally noticed the food was not yet ready, we moved on to the other two stations. However, when the chefs were ready with their entire preparations, the team took the crowd by surprise with items showcased. Among the three outlets, I’d say Guest Chef, Chef Roy Wong surprised me most.

The Smoked Egg topped with sauce flavoured prawns served in a simple presentation – halved egg placed on a porcelain Chinese spoon – had a unique sweetish flavour that’s simply addictive.

The Silk Garden team and their impressive food selections.

Judging from guests’ turnout, the Sutera Harbour Resort & Winecellars Gourmet Fest 2013 may well be a yearly calendar as it has many attractive features that would help boost Sabah’s tourism especially now that Visit Malaysia Year 2014 is just around the corner.

Go Makan! Sure ah?

NEWSFLASHMEDIA has posted earlier today an introduction to our readers on GoMakan.com, probably Malaysia’s first online food portal directory. The launch took place this recent Friday night at the Neverland Club on Jalan Kia Peng. I’ve been so out of touch with KL’s night scene so I’m not sure if that spot used to be the Orange Club, just next to Borneo Baruk, which is currently undergoing renovation. Not sure as well if Borneo Baruk is still operating under that same name.

The invite was fairly simple and to-the-point; media registration at 6pm and Makan (yes, that’s exactly how it was written) at 7pm. The press release states “... there will be NO lengthy speeches; no ribbon cutting ceremony; just good times to be had. Be prepared TO EAT, DRINK & LAUGH throughout the evening...”

Joanne Kam and the mini paparazzi.

And true, there were no speeches or ribbon cutting. But good times, eat, drink and laugh I wasn’t too sure of. Yes, we drank a lot but drinking on an empty stomach is no fun. Bear in mind that the launch was slated for 7pm, which is dinner hour for many of us. And knowing you’ve been invited to a food event means you don’t want to turn up on a full stomach. This is especially true for the Press who keeps a hectic work schedule and a regular eating pattern isn’t the norm.

The crowd, which included special guests as well as the media, were already at the venue by 6.30pm. And that’s a good sign and a sure welcome from most organisers of food events. It means guests will sample their servings when they are still nice, hot and fresh. Most of the booths of participating members of GoMakan.com were ready to tackle the crowd and tantalise their tastebuds. So naturally the hungry guests zoomed in on the food. A Mat Salleh friend of mine had a plateful of spread and polished his plate off.

Teh Tarik for the star!

Some guests were still at the booths making their selections when suddenly an announcement was made on the microphone, asking guests to refrain from sampling the food until they are invited to do so at the ‘launch’ hour – 7pm. YIKES! There were some red faces and those who already had food on their plates just didn’t know what to do; continue eating or drop everything and hide.

Wow! Wasn’t that ‘tactful’? I wonder how a more professional ‘emcee’ would have tackled the situation?

So the guests shied away from the booths and the operators stopped serving their food. Several minutes into 7pm Joanne Kam appeared and so the event was ‘officiated’. It seemed 30 of the portal’s members took part on the night but it didn’t appear so. Judging from the stalls, there appeared to be less than 30.

The ice-cream boys hard at work. The ice-creams are delicious.

Most of my friends tried most of the selections featured. I only stopped at the ice-cream counter, which I think was called Vedablu (Phileo Damansara 1) and Wrapstarzz (Wangsa Walk Mall). I have to say the offerings at these two outlets were worth a try as I did enjoy the Beef Wrap although a friend of mine said the filling was too dry. And everyone agreed that the yoghurt ice-creams were good.

Good food = Good fun?

I came with a friend and we had initially planned to hang out at the club and do some catching up with our media friends. But a majority were just trapped in KL’s Friday traffic madness; changed plans and ended up going elsewhere. So we left very early, about half an hour or so after Joanne’s appearance.

If the event was aimed towards a great fun night eating and drinking, it turned out to be, what the Malays would say a night of curi curi makan (trying bits and pieces here and there). Having spent most of our time in the publishing world at food reviews, launches and events, my friends and I were not impressed with this particular 'eat and be merry’ invite. It was just the wrong venue, the wrong ambiance and the wrong night.

Plenty of choices?

However, creating the portal and the purpose it serves is a great idea. Now no one needs to call the media in the middle of the night asking where can they get great food as they are traveling all the way from Ipoh to eat in KL.

Oh, by the way, while watching the GoMakan.com videos included in the press package, did the host Debbie Chien say “sh.t”when she fell to the floor? If she did, there goes all the chic and class and the beautifully made face and stunning figure hugging dress.

This lady's stall got rave reviews for the curry puffs but for the life of me can't remember the name of the company.

And oops! Just as I was finishing this post and checking facts, I called one of the GoMakan members on her handphone listed in the press release and she wasn't happy her mobile number is in there. YIKES again!

Keeping My Hands Busy

M. Ismail is one of NewsFlashMedia’s team members. She's home again in Kuala Lumpur after her six months stay in the UK. So what's life about for her once on home-ground again?

WELL…it was down to serious hours of fun for me today! I planned to make the most of my hands and using them outdoors too! A friend commented on Facebook:  “Wah! Getting busy with your hands.” Yerp, serious busy.

First, out with the goggles. There! Don’t I look like a pro? Well, semi-pro at least. It's basic but good enough for safety purposes.

Here it comes! The first tool for the day.

I got this a few years back. It’s still in good condition although I use it often. It’s not so hip and trendy but it covers well. And no, girlfriends, I don’t take it out shopping. This is a handyman’s safety goggles, which I make sure I put on especially when I’m doing a lot of drilling. Yes, this drilling business can be very messy and dusty, I tell you.

So what was the project for today? My two-seater teak garden chair bought from furniture store Barang Barang. Cost me more than RM600 during a sale but it was money worth spending on. But looking at the picture now, it does look a poor sight, doesn’t it? Believe me, it has seen better days.

My garden chairs. Yes, the plants in the hanging pots are dead.

No one will believe me when I said it is teak. But teak it is and it has been sitting out in the garden, outdoors, under the sun and gone through many hours of storm and rain. And I love it, dearly because that’s where I propped myself in at the wake of dawn, in the early evenings, during sunset, after dinner and at 2am in the morning while I take a break from work sipping coffee, or a chocolate drink. Sometimes I’m there just to look up at the night skies covered in bright stars, and a plane or two flying by. There were moments when my chair and I shared a story or two; my happiness and sadness; some laughter and tears.

I propped it just under my bedroom window because there’s a natural concrete beam that juts out from the ceiling. It gives me and my chair shade when we don’t want too much sun. It has a special place in the garden. It is always by the jasmine tree. When the weather is cooler the jasmine tree bears a lot of flowers and they smell heavenly and a few will softly fall onto my lap whenever there is a cool breeze.

Now to get the tough screws out!

However, after five years I’ve decided to redecorate the garden…soon, but it has to start with the garden chair because it takes up the most space. And because it is slightly arch-shaped, I have to compromise with the other plants.

I look at my chair today and told it that I’m removing one half of it because I’ve only been using one side of the chair all this while. So, there is no point in having a large chair that takes up all the space, which I can use for something else. Now out came my drill. It was not used as a drill today but as a screwdriver. I needed to remove the well-embedded screws in the corners of the little table that joined the seats together. And boy! That was hard work because some of the screws just wouldn't budge.  But I’m a determined handy-woman, alternating the job between the electric drill and a sturdy, long screwdriver.

Notice the old red paint? Need to scrape that out.

You know they say, in every ‘work’ the tools are most important. Having the right tools, lighten the work. But in this case, it just didn’t happen. But I managed fine. And at every successful attempt at removing a part, I raised both my arms up into the air and cried: “I am the CHAMPION!” None of my show of jubilance was caught on camera because I totally forgot about taking a few snaps. Well, I wouldn’t be such a pleasant sight though, tiny tight shorts and a skimpy spaghetti strapped T-shirt. I bet if a nosy neighbour had been spying on me he or she might have thought it was a joke that this scrawny woman was doing all the work. Oh yes, you’d better bet every sen you have on me because I am the DIY expert in my family, ever since I was a teenager.

What once was the little table.

I collect most of the important DIY gadget and I store them in the top cupboard of my kitchen where there is a huge space for them, specifically made for the purpose. There’s a Hammer Drill, a standard drill, two battery-operated hand-drills and complete sets of drill heads, spanners of varying sizes, two handsaws, hammers from lightweight to medium to heavy, high-pressure washer (jet spray that can do the painting for huge walls or stripping old paint and other general DIY jobs). In short I have a cupboard-full of various gadgets and I would love to get more screwdrivers and smaller hand tools that make work light. In fact I’d love to buy one of those sturdy work benches so I can easily prop my projects there when I need to cut and saw. In fact, I am currently planning on getting a handy electric saw. I’ve not found the right one as yet.

Okay, back to my garden chair. Look! After a few knocks here and there the table has come off! Now you see two single garden chairs instead of one. Voila!

I have two single garden chairs now.

There are a few minor damages caused by some of the bent screws embedded in parts of the wood so I will need to do some restoration first. Next up is cleaning the chairs, drying them out, stripping the old pain, filling up the tiny cracks and holes with wood filler and finally sandpapering it. And when all these are done, I will have a spanking new garden chair.

I love deep reds on my wood but would just using varnish be better for my teak? That’s something to think about.

What would the colour be, now?

The Family's 7-month old Big Boy

IT was seven months ago that Nek Yong last wrote about little Qar, the first male member, the first grandson and the first nephew in the clan. And how we adore our little Qar. Qar turned seven months old 15 minutes before midnight yesterday.

Ever since that last post Nek Yong has been wanting post again about all the little things that Nek Yong does with Qar. But time flies so fast and Nek Yong could not even find time to sit long enough to jot the wonderful moments spent with him. Instead Nek Yong has been spending all her time with him, recording everything in her mind instead of her posts and how wonderful those moments are.

But there are still good news to share. Although Nek Yong has not written her post for seven months she has recorded most of Qar’s activities since Day 1 on camera. Nek Yong has tons of photos of Qar, many of which even his parents have not seen.

Just the other day, Qar’s mum had a peep at Nek Yong’s computer and discovered so many loveable photos of Qar stored in many different folders. She wanted a copy of them but Nek Yong gave her a warning: DO NOT take my favourite shots of Qar away! It’s not because Nek Yong is selfish and wants to keep all the photos to herself but we know the saying; the photographer has first rights.

Qar busy trying to grab some soap bubbles yesterday morning.

At one point the photographing frenzy between Nek Yong and her two daughters got so competitive that it made the three of us laughed so hard at each other. We are always racing to steal shots of Qar and we failed every time because if one was about to shoot, the other two would rush in. In the end we dubbed ourselves the paparazzi photographers. The only joke is there is only one subject matter – Qar.

Would you believe it if Nek Yong says that between the three of us women we have squabbles until today as to who have privilege to a certain shot? At times as we race to steal a shot we would even push the others out of the way, resulting in a few sulking sessions. But we didn’t care who gets upset. What matters is who gets the shot first. Competitive aren’t we?

All three of us women do photography. And all three of us would grab any camera within sight just to catch Qar’s antics. You know what it is like with babies, they are so unpredictable so if you want to catch those precious moments, just don’t bother packing your camera after use. Just leave it around the house, within grabbing distance. That way you will be able to get higher quality shots compared to those taken on handphones. This also explains why among Nek Yong’s tons of photos of Qar are piles of blurry ones as well. But, Nek Yong is keeping them. You know why? Because every picture tells a story, even a blur piece.

Happy seven months old Qar. See you when you wake up later today.



With loving care – Nek Yong

My Man, Rene

MY man Chris Rene has left X-Factor USA in third place tonight (viewing at 8pm London, Dec 24), just minutes after a teary footage of him overwhelmed by the well-wishes from family members and friends. Hundreds gathered at The Catalyst in his hometown Santa Cruz in a show of support of the young ‘homie’.

(Inset, left) is Renee onstage on the final countdown day.

Put aside his ‘drug taking’ history and sob-sob life story. I love this man firstly for his voice, the style in which he sings and his most humble character. No, I don’t like everything about him, especially the way he moves – you know, the slight bounce, the hand movements, tipping of his hat and all. These are all ‘influences’. But when you talk about character and behavior – Chris Rene has all that I like in an artiste. So shame on you Astro the young snob, perasan (vain) lil’ boy who thinks he is larger than life by not wanting to perform when he was voted out!

(From top, Renee in various moods) Renee overwhelmed by emotions, in anguish waiting for the result and sharing one good moment with his mentor L.A. Reid.

Rene winning third place wasn’t a surprise as it was very clear as to who the sure winner was on the night. But somewhere deep inside I wished either Rene or Josh Krajcik could have toppled Melanie Amaro. She has heck of a voice and stage presence but help me God when she opens her mouth to express her feelings.

Josh Krajcik came second, much to Nicole's delight.

There were several other contestants whom I think could do wonders to the entertainment industry but were voted out at such an early stage of the competition. Krajcik is the kind of artiste and voice I would love to listen to over and over again but Nicole has done such a tremendous job on him that she completely wiped out his natural singing abilities. Mid-way through the competition Krajcik sounded more like a commercial female act disguised in a man’s clothes! Leave him alone Nicole! He would have better chance if he was under the mentoring of L.A. Reid or even Simon Cowell.
Another act that I just adore, not for the talent but the look, is Rachel Crow, the chubby 13-year-old who wants her own bathroom. I think it’s true like one of the judges had said in one of the show’s segment – there could be a Rachel Crow doll soon. I will buy for my collector friend…

Both Simon and Amaro looking all jitters.

The face of a winner, swarmed by overexcited relatives. Hello...this is supposed to be an Amaro moment ok?

For the next season of X Factor USA, can someone tell both Paula and Nicole (especially) to suck it in when they sit on the judges’ panel? Stop whimpering about not being able to make decisions. That’s the very freaking reason you are there in the first place!

The judges celebrate!

Qar's Stay at Great Grandma's

QAR left Nek Yong’s home in the early evening today to stay with his Great Grandmother whose house is about an hour’s drive out of Kuala Lumpur. Nek Yong has to be at work but that doesn’t mean Qar didn’t have his usual morning bath with Nek Yong. The only difference with today’s bath is that his mother bathed him instead. Nek Yong sat quietly by my daughter’s side and taught her how to bathe Qar.

Sleeping ...

My grandson will be away right until Eid, which is just a few days away. And Nek Yong will join him on Sunday afternoon as Great Grandmother wants new curtains for the hall. It’s a last minute shopping again for Nek Yong but having done this for the past years for my mom, it doesn’t upset Nek Yong anymore.

Sleeping some more..

At this very moment Nek Yong is still in the office, alone, waiting for the breaking of fast hour. It is much easier to just break fast in the office and then go home because the after-office traffic is really bad in the area where Nek Yong works. By the time Nek Yong finish her mug of hot coffee and a small bowl of fried rice, the traffic would have subsided.

PEACE sign from Qar?

Nek Yong has to go now Qar. Will write more in the next few days as I know there will be lots of things to write about with Eid festivities taking place.

Thinking of you, Qar and missing my cute grandson already.

With loving care – Nek Yong

Sunday Shopping With Qar

NEK YONG’s mornings for now are specifically for Qar. I bathe and sun him before I leave for work and at the same time look after Qar’s mum, my eldest daughter.

Perhaps this week things will more or less go back to normal. Qar is getting easier to handle as he is growing up very fast and doesn’t look as fragile as the newborn that he was. Of course it’s been just past a week but in Nek Yong’s eyes, Qar is a ‘big boy’ already. He peed on Nek Yong twice while I towel-dried him after his morning bath. A few days ago, he pooped on his dad when he was cleaning him. Dad gave a loud scream when he was caught by surprise. Nek Yong thinks he has a lot more to learn about child-minding ;)

Dashing?

My daughter is regaining her health as well except for a few bumps and bruises. She is stronger after the delivery and is able to move about independently, thanks to the medication her gran made for her.

As promised to Qar on Saturday evening, the family took Qar to the nearby mall to shop for his Hari Raya clothes on Sunday morning. Not that Qar showed any emotions but the entire family thought he was extremely happy. You know how it is with grandmas and aunts. Their doting of their precious ones goes beyond logic.

There you go, fast asleep.

Nek Yong dressed Qar in his Sunday best – a smart-looking Onesies that an aunt gave to him as a birthday gift (Onesies is a shirt that snaps under the diaper to stay on). But before we could take one step out the door, Qar was asleep. So much for shopping.

With loving care - Nek Yong

My Cute Sleepy Head

BABY Qar is fast asleep, along with the rest of the household except for Nek Yong. At the time of writing this, the time is 2:58 on Sunday morning.

Like every doting grandmother, Nek Yong does a quick check on Qar every hour or so, just in case his little cotton blanket got tangled in his face. Qar wriggles and stretches a lot and when he does his entire small frame gets all twisted and contorted and red. He makes the cutest sound ever when he does his little stretch. It is so adorable that it melts Nek Yong’s heart every time.

Twist and turn and wriggle and stretch but never awake - that's Qar for you.

Qar’s mum and dad are in the bedroom with him but they are fast asleep, trying to recover as much as possible from the maddening event of August 13. So Nek Yong plays Nanny to make sure both parents and child are in good care.

Yesterday, Qar got his very own passport and Nek Yong accompanied him and his parents to the nearby Immigration Office. Nicely wrapped in a bundle, Qar slept through everything, even when Nek Yong placed him in front of the photographer’s camera to get a passport sized photo of him.

At 5pm yesterday, when Nek Yong gave him his bath, his umbilical cord stump finally fell off. It was a big relief for Nek Yong as it was quite unnerving seeing it dangled around Qar’s navel every day. It was especially tough ‘handling’ it during bath time and sterilising it.

Sometimes when Qar ‘yelped’, Nek Yong got worried just in case he was in pain. Of course he wasn’t in pain because the umbilical cord doesn’t have pain-sensitive nerve fibres, according to medical advice. Many of us however think it does.

Perhaps when Nek Yong has the time, I will write a little about this in my post, just to reassure my daughter as she has not been able to Google much of late.

Just slightly a week old, Qar, fast asleep.

Qar has just passed a week old and is already looking like a big boy. He is beginning to smile a lot too. Nek Yong can’t get enough of looking at Qar and cuddling and giving him small kisses on those rosy cheeks of his. My two daughters have a good laugh whenever they see me doing these. They make fun of me, purposely thinking aloud as to where my tough, disciplinarian qualities have gone to since Qar arrived.

Well, laugh all you like, daughters. Tomorrow, I’m taking Qar shopping for his Hari Raya (Eid)’s clothes. So there …

                                                                                               With loving care – Nek Yong

Qar's 2nd Day With Nek Yong

SLEEP eluded me the night after Qar's birth (Aug 13, 2011).

It was way past 3am on Sunday that I got to bed, sorting out things at home so I could be by my daughter’s and my grandson’s side again the next day.

That same Sunday, Nek Yong woke up at half past eight to the sound of an SMS bleeping on my hand phone. It was my daughter who just gave birth asking me to bring along a few more of Qar’s nappies, mittens and booties when next we visit.

By 11am my younger daughter and I were already heading for the hospital in her tiny twin-cam Kelisa, which runs like a blizzard. Before you knew it, we were at the hospital. Talk about safe driving in a matchbox.

The rules are very strict at the hospital – no visitors before visiting hours. Even grandmothers do not have privileges. But we were prepared to sit on the hot slabs outdoor again because the waiting area feels like a freezer with the air-conditioning turned down so low.

Nek Yong decided to take a chance. I walked up to the security guard at the entrance to my daughter’s ward and asked if I could go up to see my grandson. If looks could butcher one alive, the guard’s would. But somehow I managed to get in although it was only 15 minutes to Visitors’ Hours. Who cares? It’s nice to know as a ‘gran’ I do have privileges, given or forced.

I managed to snap some photos of Qar using my hand phone since the nurses watch over anyone who lugs in a camera outfit any bigger.

Qar giving Nek Yong the one-eye pirate look.

These are precious photos – Qar’s second day in this world. Nek Yong promise he will grow up a happy child.

With loving care – Nek Yong

My First Grandson, Grandchild - Qar

NEK YONG officially became a granny at exactly 11.40pm last night. My first grandson was born after I had spent two hours sitting on the stone slabs by the entrance of the delivery ward of Putrajaya Hospital.

Clad in faded blue jeans, a simple white T and a black leather jacket, Nek Yong felt jubilant as I cradled my grandson in my arms. He still had traces of blood around his shoulders, wrapped in the hospital’s blue blanket, wide eyed and perhaps wondering who the grinning woman cradling him was. I didn’t care if my first grandson thinks I’m an alien lost on Planet Earth. I was just happy he finally arrived...after 14 hours and 10 minutes to be exact.

Qar (pronounced ‘Khorr’) is adorable. His eyes were wide opened despite only being born less than an hour before resting in my arms. Nek Yong heard his wail right across the labour room to the waiting area right out to the main entrance. That’s my grandson Qar - my first grandchild.

Qar...Nek Yong has to go to bed now. While your mother wrapped you in her arms, Nek Yong was travelling back to our home in Kuala Lumpur. In the next few days you will come home with us and sleep in the baby crib that Nek Yong has prepared for you.

There will be more stories of our adventures in the next few days and weeks and months and years but for now Nek Yong has to sleep so I can see you at the hospital again this afternoon.

As I walked to the car-park at the hospital I was already thinking about taking Qar shopping. Nek Yong will get some new clothes and Qar will get some books.

Life – it’s very sweet at the moment.


With loving care - Nek Yong

I'm Blessed

IT is only the second day of May and already we’ve been plagued by several setbacks. But being the hardcore that we are giving up is the last thing on our mind.

Our posts have gone MIA for several days now due to a virus attack on our system. We are fixing the problem and our techies are hard at work so we hope none of our regular readers have given up on us?

URGHHH!!! You ugly mean virus!!!

 Clipart: Worm - UTRESCU (utrescu)

It’s been a good rest for many in Malaysia due to the long “weekend”. Labour’s Day was on a Sunday, which makes Monday automatically a free-from-work day.

The shopping centres were jam-packed and that observation was merely at the neighbourhood malls. Wonder what it had been in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur itself?

Well, there are a lot of sales going on already and some branded boutiques are giving away impressive discounts. My credit card company has been sending me flyers, encouraging me to spend, spend, and spend! And no, I’m not tempted simply because the country’s annual grand sale is just around the corner. So my gang and I plan to splurge then.

Staying happy, that's life's No. 1 rule.

 Clipart:Happy - ZINDYI (zindyi)

At this very moment we are experiencing rain. Gorgeous, cool evening after a terribly hot, hot, summer-ish day. Not that we have summer really. But the weather is changing so much, thanks to our own carelessness in protecting the environment!

Malaysia’s Monsoon season is between November and March and the dry season is between May and September. But look what’s happening today. It’s May and it’s pouring cats and dogs. April was a very wet month as well.

Besides the virus attack and a very hard fall I experienced in the toilet of my home two days ago that left bruises on my torso, everything else is reasonably going good (pray hard).

I bumped into a long-time friend in the mall today as I was making my way to my fitness class. She had her two kids with her. “Factory closed down already,” she said when I commented she already has a pair. The elder kid hugged and kissed me. That was really sweet and to think she doesn’t even know who I am as we’ve only met once, when she was less than a year old.

The funny bit about the meet was what my friend’s mother said: “She is always working. Always in front of the computer, writing. She might as well go for a full time job”.

I think my answer of “that’s what life is these days, aunty” didn’t go down well with her. She looked quite sullen after that. Maybe I should have lied and scolded my friend so the mother is happier that someone’s on her side? Hmm…have to think about that.

Every day I plan to achieve something, no matter how small.

Clipart: Alpiniste - ZINDYI (zindyi)

Oh. And I also “met” this “loony” character – a craft shop owner who dragged me into a conversation as I was browsing her merchandise and watching her make a scrap album for a customer.
I can’t believe my ears when she went on and on complaining about a difficult customer to me. While I can understand her frustration I think it is highly unprofessional for her to criticize her customer and to a total stranger too. At the end of the day she is running a business and no matter how wrong her customers are they will always be “right”.

I walked out of her shop as she continued complaining. I refused to be a part of it. I am determined to bury all negative vibes out of my life.

Note: We’ve been asked several times why our posts mix “we” and “I” all the time. Because we are sloppy writers ? No, actually when we say “we” that refers to NewsFlashMedia and the team. When we say “I” it refers to any of the team member who is writing the post ;)

Eco-friendly With Sloggi

Note from The Team: This is the third part of NFM’s post on Sloggi’s Love World 2011 collection. It got a bit delayed due to some unforeseen circumstances. Enjoy it nevertheless.

SLOGGI is a lingerie and undergarment company so what was it doing taking a group of media and several KL bloggers into the Tekala Recreational Forest in Hulu Langat recently?

If you were not there and heard or read about this trip you’d think it strange that Sloggi chose to hire a huge tour coach to bring these people into a jungle for a simple launch. Why didn’t they just host the event at some chic location in the city centre like they always do?

The answer is education! The world needs to be educated on the importance of protecting the environment. And since Sloggi’s Love World 2011 collection is eco-friendly it makes this launch concept very relevant.

The Herbal patch near the entrance of Tekala Recreational Forest.

Evelyn Foo, Triumph’s Head of Brand Management made it very clear that there wasn’t going to be any catwalk to showcase Sloggi’s Love World 2011.

Instead Evelyn talked about how we can help our forest, the environment, Earth by using eco-friendly undergarments. Sloggi’s Love World 2011 collection is made from Sensitive®Fabric, which is manufactured using eco-friendly processes.

Using eco-friendly undergarments however is only part of the learning process in appreciating our forests especially since they play an enormous role in determining our future environment. A short tour of the forest can bring us closer to its habitats, wildlife and eco-systems. The launch at the forest is in collaboration with local environmental NGO, TrEES (Treat Every Environment Special) as well as the State Forestry Department. As a team, they help conserve and protect Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor including the forest park’s habitats, wildlife and eco-systems.

Representatives fromTrEES, Selangor State Forestry Department and Sloggi.

Sloggi Malaysia’s collaboration with TrEES and SFD echoes the efforts made by Sloggi on the global front, where it has teamed up with SensitivEcoSystem® Project to partner with World Land Trust™.

SensitivEcoSystem® Project is the Italian manufacturer of Sensitive®Fabric while World Land Trust™ is a non-profit organisation that protects remote regions between Brazil, Paraguay and North East Argentina. Their aim is to save the threatened rainforest in the Yaboti Biosphere, home to unusual plants and animal species, which are at risk of extinction. With every one meter of sensitive®Fabric used in the Love World Collection, one sq meter of the rainforest in the Yaboti Bisosphere will be saved.

There's still a nice, cool, clean stream in the park.

“We have very few forests left,” Evelyn said. “And so we need to protect them so that the new generation can still enjoy what we have today,” she added.

Evelyn touched a little about Sloggi’s eco-friendly collection, started in 2009 highlighting Sloggi’s every day organic cotton wear. In 2010 Sloggi came out with a collection made from plastic bottles. And in 2011 it included three eco-friendly items out of the four in the collection.

“Our eco collection provides 100% comfort and it is safe on skin,” she said.

A worthy donation for a great cause.

Sloggi also pledged a donation of RM25,000 from profit sales of its Love World collection to TrEES. This fund will be used for the development of a new interactive digital programme that supports activities for youth under TrEES’ Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor (TWNS) environmental protection initiative called Communities for Conservation. The aim of the programme is to ensure TWNS remains protected so it can continue providing information of the park to the future generation who are our effective agents of change.

Perhaps by being in the forest and learning a thing or two about its habitats it will make us realise how every bit of contribution in whatever form can help protect the environment in the long run to benefit the new generations.

Life's Little Mysteries

LIFE can spring a lot of surprises. Most times the unexpected happens when you least expects it. I guess that explains why a lot of people, like me, do not like surprises. But when it is a good surprise, it is most welcomed!

Today I bumped into someone I have liaised with so many times before in the past 20 years but have never had the chance to meet in person. It was only when she handed me her cards that I realised my most recent phone conversations with her was about six months ago.

The warmth of a friend is akin to that you enjoy within the comforts of your home.

Image: Breakfast by HAPEKLA (hapekla)

Whenever I bumped into past acquaintances the way I did today, it makes me wonder if the world is actually smaller than we think it is. And how, one way or the other, people we have lost contact with can suddenly spring back into our life.

Just two days ago I met up with a girlfriend who I’ve not seen or communicated regularly with for about two years now. And as we enjoyed glass after glass of hot Barley drink we shared stories of our life that had been put on hold due to either distance or work demands.

But one thing remains consistent with these two friends. None of the warmth they exude in the past is lost, despite the years, which reflects what another close friend of mine often say: a true friend isn’t about constantly being in touch but being able to have a great time whenever we meet once in a blue moon.

Sloggi Goes to the Forest

RIGHT at this moment I’m feeling that the biggest struggle in my life is getting up early in the morning.

After enjoying five years working from my home office and waking up the next day at any hour I choose to, I have turned myself into a totally night owl. I sleep very late and I wake up late.

Sloggi team slogging it out.

But today, all that “habit” had to be shelved. I was going into the forest and if there’s one thing I can’t say no to it’s the forest.

And I’m glad I dragged myself out of bed this morning because I enjoyed every second of today - being under the sun, under the canopy of trees and their beautiful foliage and listening to the sounds of the riang-riang (cicada) and the many other insects and inhabitants of the forest that one can identify only if silence is observed while in the forest.
 

Haji Mangsor doing his bit as well during the tree-planting activity.

I would say Sloggi’s launch of its Love World campaign held at Tekala Recreational Forest in Hulu Langat, which I wrote about last night, was successful. Talking to the PR person I had the idea that she was initially nervous about hosting the event in the forest, despite the accuracy in the choice due to the theme and concept of the campaign.

Most of the media reps it seems do not want to attend due to the distance of the venue. An hour and a half of travelling out of KL is far? And it’s such a cool awareness event too. So give me a break all you ignorant couch potatoes.

This isn't the first time I've planted a tree and it's still fun.

I don’t know about the rest who came but I learnt a lot within that few hours as the personnel from the State Forestry Department, AG Shaffie AG Ahmadni and Haji Mangsor Mohd Yusoff fed us with a lot of information as they took us on a 30-minute trek into the forest.

At the end of the day’s programme the planned “launch gambit” was the planting of 10 young trees. And guess who were the ones planting the trees? Take a guess until I post more of Sloggi’s event tomorrow ;)