Chin Chin Wantan Noodles 晶晶面家茶室 @ Skudai, Johor Bahru

Chin Chin Wantan Noodles 晶晶面家茶室 @ Skudai, Johor Bahru

Last week , I came across one of the best Johore-style Wantan noodles for my breakfast. Different from the black sauce wanton mee in Kuala Lumpur and Northern Malaysia, and also apart from Pontian tomato sauce wanton mee which is in red, Johor Bahru and Skudai famous with its special white wanton mee too. I always wonder how the wanton mee flavourful in the absence of black soya sauce? So I am going to find out the answer from this famous Wanton Mee in Skudai.

Chin CHin Restaurant is located in a Kampung Baru area, where most of the residents are Chinese, there is a Chinese Primary School within walking distance. So it is extremely crowded during lunch hour on weekday. When I placed my order, the owner will ask whether to add on chilies, this is another special part of Johor Wanton Mee. To make fair comparison, we ordered one original white wanton mee and one with chilies added.

Spicy Wantan Noodles  辣椒云吞面  RM4

You will like the spicy version if you are spicy lover, it doesn't look red, yet really quite spicy without showing mercy and pack a wallop. But surprisingly, the chilies paste quite matching with the wanton mee, renders the noodles itself very flavourful, I can simply eat only the noodles without char siew on top.

White Wantan Noodles  正宗白云吞面  RM4

It looks pale and like patient food? I was deceived by its look, but it turns out quite tasty, emits little fragrance of sesame oil. Even without soy sauce, the saltiness is just right to my taste. When there is not extra seasoning, I put my emphasis on the noodles itself, not to disappoint me, the noodles is very thin yet very springy. Very nice, I like its light flavour, this will be one of my top choice when I have a fussy stomach.

Chicken Feet 风爪  RM2 (s)

After we placed our order, we just noticed from the menu board on wall that they actually offer chicken feet noodles too. So we ask the waiter to make an ala carte small portion chicken feet to try out its taste.The pre-fried chicken feet are braised with five spice powder, soy sauce and Chinese mushroom. After long hour braising, the chicken is so soft. But overall, the taste is just on average, nothing too much special.

A close up to my spicy wanton mee and my warm reminder to mix the wanton mee with the sauces evenly before tuck in. It taste better when the noodles twining with the chilies sauce.  

Address : Chin Chin Wantan Noodles 晶晶面家茶室

No.273, Jalan Kaloi, Batu 10, 

81300 Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

GPS : N01 32.264'  E103 39.628'

Bussiness Hour : 7:30am to 4:00pm

Closed on Thursday

iProperty.com Malaysia Presents the Happily Ever After Home Campaign

Ever read a story that featured a lavish home and wished you lived in it? Be it an extravagant castle brimming with priceless antiques or a cosy cottage nestled at the edge of a lush forest, we have all sighed dreamily as we fantasised about living in our favourite fairy tale house.

However, as we grew up, we were made to realise how difficult it was to obtain our own home, much less something matching those of our childhood daydreams, and were forced to leave them behind.

In recognition of all those long-forgotten desires, iProperty.com Malaysia has launched the Happily Ever After Home campaign, where interested individuals are invited to submit their details via Facebook and answer a simple question.

To increase their chances of winning, participants can spin their own versions of four selected fairy tales that entertained them as children. These fairy tales, which iProperty.com Malaysia has added a modern twist to, are Hensem & Gatal, Rafunzel, Red Riding in da Hood and Jack & the Kacang Panjang.

The one to emerge triumphant in the end will ride off into the sunset with RM10,000 to fund their own happily ever after home. A total of 10 Apple TVs are also available as prizes; after all, nothing says ‘luxury’ quite like a nifty gadget that allows you to easily get your favourite shows and movies from the Internet.

The Happily Ever After Home campaign is open to all Malaysians above the age of 18. Entries must be submitted no later than 12am on 21st June 2013 and winners will be shortlisted based on the number of likes. A total of 20 contestants with the most likes will then be selected before the winning entries are chosen, which will be based on the creativity of the story they create.

For those who are interested, check the contest page on the iProperty.com Malaysia website here for more details and submit your entry.

Food Republic Pavilion KL Makes Tech Dreams Come True for 5 Patrons

More than 1,000 Entries Compete for Prizes worth RM10,800

The Food Republic Pavilion KL Dream Gadget contest made the tech dreams of five lucky patrons come true at a simple prize-giving ceremony held at the award-winning food atrium recently. 

More than 1,000 entries were received for the five-week contest that was jointly organized by Food Republic Pavilion KL and Permanis Sandilands Sdn Bhd. Weekly main prizes for the contest included the Samsung Galaxy Note II, HTC One X, iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy SIII with the grand prize of an iPad Mini. Main prize and consolation prize winners also received cash vouchers of a total of RM10,845. 

The Food Republic Pavilion KL Dream Gadget Contest was held from March to April 2013 and saw a surge in patrons to the popular Food Republic food atrium as regular patrons and new customers enjoyed great food, Pepsi, Mirinda, 7Up and Revive Isotonic drinks to be in the running to win tech gadgets of their choice. 

(from L-R) 3rd Week main prize winner Ms Chin Yit Mun receiving her iPhone 5 from Mr. Ramesh Arunasalam, Channel Sales Executive of Permanis Sandilands Sdn Bhd.

(from L-R) Grand prize winner Mr Rabindranath Indrajit receiving his iPad mini and cash voucher from Mr. Ramesh Arunasalam, Channel Sales Executive of Permanis Sandilands Sdn Bhd and Mr Andy Lee, Senior Branch Manager , Food Republic Pavilion KL. 

Yes, our tech gadgets dreams do come true with Food Republic Pavilion KL! Main prize winners with representatives from Food Republic and Pemanis Sandilands. 

The main prizewinners of the contest are Chin Chee Meng taking home the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Cheah Chee Fong receiving the HTC One X, Chin Yit Mun claiming the iPhone 5, Teng Sook Gin taking the Samsung Galaxy SIII, with Rabindranath Indrajit winning the grand prize of the iPad Mini. 

“We are delighted with the response to the contest as it shows that good food, world-class beverages and the latest gadgets are must-haves for Malaysians foodies,” said Permanis Sandilands Sdn Bhd Vice President of Marketing Hemalatha Ragavan. “We look forward to holding more contests with Food Republic Pavilion KL to reward and thank loyal patrons and Pepsi fans for their continuous support.”

Speaking on behalf of Food Republic Pavilion KL, Senior Branch Manager – Operations, Andy Lee said that the food atrium which is now in its sixth year is constantly finding new ways to engage patrons including adding new tenants and cuisines, upgrading services and improving the ambience, using social media to raise brand awareness and keeping customers engaged with redemptions and contests. 

Main prize winner Rabindranath Indrajit, 39, an IT Engineer, was overjoyed with his win. “I am a regular patron at Food Republic Pavilion KL, I love Pepsi and I have been eyeing an iPad Mini for some time. I decided to increase my chances of winning by sending in multiple entries and it paid off!” 

Food Republic will be hosting more exciting contests. For more information, please visit http://www.facebook.com/FoodRepublicMY

Launch Sevenfriday

SevenFriday the Swiss based watch company launches its first series of watches. 

Steel, industrial plants, tools, engines, machines, wheels – the brand’s universe as well as its designs, are strongly inspired by those elements. The products’ design is a result of this inspiration in combination with high-end production and complex construction. It is a merger of contrasting materials and styles in harmony. The products clearly target individuals with high demands with regard to design, quality and uniqueness.

The wristwatches of SEVENFRIDAY are built on two major elements – the case and the interface. The case made of stainless steel is a complex construction and offers maximum protection. The shape and style lie between the spectrum of modern and classic, creating an exciting atmosphere that will appeal to every watch-lover who appreciates unique expressions of time. The case is surrounded by the animation ring made of aluminium, catering additionally to the haptic and visual senses.

Within this unique case, you will find the interface which consists of hands, discs, dial and movement. The indicators are designed and arranged to bring the complexity of the movement to the surface for the wearer’s appreciation. The dial alone is made of five separate pieces / layers with 11 different applications.

The complex construction attracts and fascinates the spectator and offers the special appreciation for timelessness.

A variety of materials, finishing and colors completes the uniqueness of the collection and takes the user on a tour of ongoing discoveries.

The P1, cool and slightly restrained in its clever use of colours, symbolises the present industrial aesthetics; the ‘Industrial Essence’. For this reason the colours silver, black and rhodium are the primary colours.

The P2, warm and with the strong colouring of copper is a clear reminder of the dawn of the industrial times, the ‘Industrial Revolution’. Additionally, the various shades of grey used in combination with the finishing are a testament to this relevant époque.

The haptic experience is enhanced by the animation ring which reinterprets the bike’s tire, including the profile and material. It protectively embraces the PVD coated stainless steel case.

P1- RM3580

P2- RM3795

For more info, log on 

www.sevenfriday.com 

www.youtube.com/sevenfriday

Instagram: sevenfriday_malaysia 

For enquiries please email malaysia@sevenfriday.com

New Hong Kong Restaurant 新香港点心 @ Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, Johor

New Hong Kong Restaurant 新香港点心@ Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, Johor

I have finally accomplish my mission for having dim sum in New Hong Kong Restaurant last week. Our first attempt to New Hong Kong failed when we visited the restaurant in the early morning with the hope we can have dim sum as breakfast.  After we did a proper research online, we found that the restaurant only opens on 11am, this is an exceptional case that early birds like us did not catch the worm. So we paid our next visit for lunch on the following weekend. The second trip was definitely fruitful!

New Hong Kong has a very obvious and unique building where you could easily observe along the roadside to The Zone Duty Free City. New Hong Kong appears with clear white wall, red wooden door and Chinese traditional roof, a very typical Hong Kong-Shang Hai styled exterior design. From the thoughtful and exterior design, we guess they offer authentic Hong Kong foods and dim sum too.

The interior design is not bad too, with the feel that we were dining in Hong Kong, New Hong Kong provides several private rooms which named by Hong Kong famous town, for example Kow Loon, Lan Kwai Fong and etc. The interior set up is elegant too with the infusion of Chinese traditional and antique wooden element.

I like their service too. This is one of the best part to dine in big restaurant, where we not only enjoy the food but also the excellent service provided. I remember there is a foreigner waitress who can speak fluent Mandarin, patiently explained to us the menu and told us which items are more worthy. And I never have opportunity to waive my hand to ask somebody to refill tea for me, they act speedy and very responsive. 

Pickled Papaya 腌木瓜  RM3

They offered us two appetizer--the braised peanut and pickled papaya. We only took the papaya because we have only two person, we have to reserve our stomach for the DIM SUM!! So in the view that the pickled papaya looks much more interesting and appetizing. The young papaya slices were pickled with vinegar and some chilies, infuse well with the refreshing fruity fragrance. Just right to open up the flavour.

Now to showcase the selection of Dim Sum offered by New Hong Kong. The price definitely surprises me, it is quite affordable despite we dined in a classy restaurant which standard is on par with hotel's restaurant. 

Steamed Scallop Dumpling 鲜虾带子饺  RM8

Har Kau is one of the dim sum I never miss out in HK restaurant. In New Hong Kong, they furnish the Har Kau with fresh prawn and scallop. And as seen by your naked eyes, the har kau skin is so thin and transparent until we can see through the content of the filling. 

Fired Bean Curd Skin with Prawn  鲜虾腐皮卷  RM8

The deep-fried bean curd skin is very crispy and not too oily, this is also one of my favourite during visits to dim sum restaurant.

Siew Mai  蟹皇蒸烧卖  RM5.80

Superior version of Siew Mai, which the golden yellow crab roe is placed on the bed of minced meat filling. The filling does not simply comprise of pork, but also prawn meat I bet, that is the reason of the springy texture. 

Carrot Cake 香煎萝卜糕  RM3.80

Pan-fried carrot cake is something I craved for long time, and yet I could not find a good one in Singapore. This one offered by New Hong Kong definitely satisfied my desire. While the outer layer is fried to crispy, the inner remains soft and smooth. My tongue was surprised by some peanuts hidden in the carrot cake, make the texture better.  

Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce  豉汁蒸排骨  RM5.80

This is one of the most worthy item in the menu, more than five pieces just cost me less than RM10, such a good deal. The pork ribs is steamed till very very soft, the marinade with black bean sauce is a smart choice too, allow the pork rib to absorb the saltiness from the bean without much seasoning. The gravy at bottom makes me feel to have a bowl of white rice.

Crab Meat Dumpling in Clear Soup 蟹肉灌汤饺  RM7

Crab meat dumpling is one of the signature dish recommended by the waitress. I am impressed by the giant size dumpling size. The soup base is flavourful yet healthy, which is boiled by China cabbage. 

Conclusion, this is a nice place for authentic Hong Kong dishes, we saw some customer coming purposely from Singapore to after their Peking roasted duck. Perhaps, I will come back for the signature roasted duck in near future which I found the price is extremely reasonable.

Address : New Hong Kong Restaurant 新香港 

69A, B, C, Jalan Ibrahim Sultan

80300 Johor Bahru

GPS : N01 27.780' E103 46.447'

Business Hour : Monday - Saturday : 11am – 3.00pm / 6pm – 10.00pm

Public Holiday & Sunday:

9.00am – 3.00pm / 6pm – 10.00pm

Tel: +607-2222608 / +607-2223719

TRANSFORM YOUR HOME INTO THE FINEST COFFEE BAR WITH THE KRUPS EA9000 ESPRESSO MACHINE

The Unique One Touch Cappucino Machine with Automatic Steam Nozzle Cleaning

Krups - the worldwide leader for selected espresso machines, is introducing the Krups EA9000 Espresso Machine, the unique one-touch-cappucino machine with automatic steam nozzle cleaning. Inspired by the mastery sophistication of baristas, the Krups EA9000 Espresso Machine provides classic coffee experiences for people who appreciate the very best pleasure from their coffee, within the comfort of their own homes.

“The Krups EA9000 was created in mind for those who have an inner barista waiting to burst out at home. With that said, users will be able to find a variety of features and capabilities on the Krups EA 9000 which allows all coffee connoiseurs to brew their own perfect cup of coffee, said Sophie Micollet, Internation Product Manager. “We took inspiration from professional baristas when developing this new high-end fully automatic Krups EA9000. The result is - a coffee machine that is sure to spoil our users in every senses. With all the perfection, precision and passion, that is typical of the Krups brand.” 

Krups has designed the EA9000 Espresso Machine to ensure that users can get a classic espresso, aromatic coffee or delicious coffee and milk specialities all at the simple touch of a button. In order for the Krups EA9000 Espresso Machine to perform like a real-live barista, Krups has carefully designed and included innovations such as: 

• 2-Step Frothing Technology- The unique 2-step frothing system which pre-heats the milk and froths it directly in the cup to ensure the best possible milk froth consistency and temperatures. It will then add the coffee into the same cup to create a perfect cappuccino every time. 

• Automatic cleaning system (patented by Krups) – It couldn’t be any simpler: pour the milk into the cup and place it under the coffee outlet. After confirming your choice of beverage, the Krups EA9000 will do the rest for you. Right through to automatically rinsing the frothing nozzle with hot water after every use ensuring maximum hygiene as well. 

• Stainless steel conical burr grinder with automatic Grinder Setting Technology (patented by Krups) - The automatic adjustment of the metal conical burr grinder (fineness and quantities) to the drink chosen ensures the best results for every option. 

• One touch color digital screen (patented by Krups) – Allows complete customization of drinks from programming of favorites and profiles to customizing drink strength, temperature and quantity. Up to 8 people will be able to store their own own 8 favorite recipes in their own individual drink list. 

The Krups EA 9000 Espresso Machine will be available for the price of RM 9,888 and will be available at Harvey Norman, ESH Electrical and Parkson Elite Store. For further information, please visit http://www.krups.com/. 

AWARDS AND HONOURS:- 

· Red Dot Design Award (2012), from Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen 

· Kitchen Innovation of the Year (2012), from Initiative LifeCare 

· TÜV (Technischer Überwachungs-Verein) certification for safety and durability

WD AND SANDISK TEAM UP TO CREATE INNOVATIVE SOLID STATE HYBRID DRIVES

SanDisk Brings Fast Flash Memory Technology 

to the World’s Thinnest 2.5-inch Solid State Hybrid Drives from WD

WD®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company, and SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced that the two companies are collaborating to introduce hybrid storage devices that feature best-in-class flash memory technology from SanDisk and best-in-class hard drive technology from WD. 

SanDisk is supplying a SanDisk iSSD™ storage device for the WD Black™ solid state hybrid drive (SSHD), the world’s thinnest 2.5-inch SSHD solution, which utilizes both WD proprietary hybrid technology and industry standard SATA IO technology. The SanDisk iSSD brings an elegant balance of performance, low power consumption, cost, reliability, and a compact form factor to this SSHD, which will offer ample storage to meet consumers’ growing appetite for digital content as well as flash-enabled speed, data throughput and responsiveness – all within ultra-slim form factors. 

“I am delighted for SanDisk to team up with WD on these exciting new hybrid products,” said Kevin Conley, senior vice president and general manager of client storage solutions at SanDisk. “By combining SanDisk’s unparalleled flash memory expertise and technology with the hard drive know-how of WD, WD Black SSHDs offer outstanding hard drive-like capacity, and the slim form factor and the level of performance that you will only get with flash memory solutions.” 

“Working with SanDisk, WD realized our vision for products that combine the best of both technologies,” said Matt Rutledge, vice president of client computing at WD. “WD’s SSHDs are a significant achievement in the continuing SSHD/flash storage revolution.” 

About WD Black Solid State Hybrid Drives 

WD Black SSHDs use WD hybrid technology that blends responsive, intelligent flash memory technology from SanDisk with high capacity hard drives from WD. This powerful combination greatly improves the PC user experience, enabling both high capacity and a higher level of performance than traditional hard disk drives, including increased speed, instant-on and faster application launching. 

With device volume being a key concern for PC manufacturers who want to design slimmer devices, the WD Black SSHDs are designed to accommodate integration into the market’s thinnest notebooks. The WD Black 5mm SSHD offers 500GB of capacity, while utilizing almost 50 percent less volume than current standard notebook hard drives (which are approximately 9.5mm). The low-profile of the solid state hybrid drive is complemented by the extremely small form factor of the SanDisk iSSD, which is built on 19 nanometer (nm) process technology, the world's smallest and most advanced semiconductor manufacturing process. The WD Black 5mm SSHDs are shipping to OEMs. WD is also currently shipping to OEMs ultra-slim, 7mm and 9.5mm SSHDs for portable devices.

Quan Yi Kopitiam 泉益茶室 @ Jalan Besar, Kulaijaya

Quan Yi Kopitiam 泉益茶室 @ Jalan Besar, Kulaijaya

At the early morning, a simple breakfast can boost your day up and gain your stamina for the whole day.  As a multi-racial country, we are pampered with choice for breakfast, no matter you are craving for American breakfast, English breakfast or local nasi lemak or roti canai, it is not too difficult to get them. But the old school Chinese Kopitiam always impress me a lot with a simple roti bakar, coffee and half-boiled egg. It is the taste of nostalgic, and wake up my childhood memory--those days we were easily satisfied.

Heard that there is a very old and famous kopitiam in Kulai, this kopitiam is also known as "mid-mountain" kopitiam by local people 俗稱“半山” 古来大街. The kopitiam look very old, without much renovation and decoration, simple set up with tables and chairs, and old-fashioned partition, regular customer never despise them. Because they make good coffee, throughout the years, they still maintain the taste and standard. 

Kopi "o" 咖啡乌  RM1  / Kopi 咖啡 RM1.20

A simple coffee enough to make us addicted, i like the nice balance between the coffee bean bitter and non-excessive sweetness. This is definitely a piece of art from the owner who accumulates experiences for years. The cup on the little plate, reminds me I used to learn our old generation to pour some of the coffee on the plate before drinking to avoid being scalded, oh my beautiful childhood memory.

Newspaper wrapped Nasi Lemak, the old school and environmental-friendly style. This is not part of their kopitiam delight, this can be found wherever they have consignment to the shop. I just took it because southern Nasi Lemak is unique to me from other part of Malaysia, their sambal is separate by banana leaf. Beside that, I found it much comfortable for those who does not really take spicy and can add on the sambal according to their taste.   

Nasi Lemak 椰浆饭  RM1.20

Not too presentable anyway after long time trapping in newspaper, and it is too simple with only sambal, ikan bilis and peanut. 

Coffee-making and Roti-baking in progress. This is not modern cafe with barista and coffee maker machine, everything comes from owner and family's hands and hardwork. The kitchen is just located in the front part of the shop, where customer may witness the making process.

Toast 烤面包  RM1 / slice

They offer two kinds of roti, either toasted bread or steamed bread. I like the thickness of the bread, which is just appropriate to make the toast outstanding with the crispy outer layer, and fluffy and soft texture inside. The normal kaya and butter filling simply make my day!

Steamed Bread 蒸面包  RM1 / slice

Steamed bread is good too, which allow you to taste the original taste and freshness of the roti. A generous slice of cold butter is hidden between the layers. The owner considerately cut the roti into 4 biting size, easier for us to share.

Half Boiled Egg  生熟蛋  RM0.90 pcs

Last but not least, half boiled egg is always something could not be missed out in Kopitiam. Nothing too special, simple taste with some soy sauce and pepper. But this is what my daddy normally made for me during my school time. While when I started living independently, I found even half boiled egg requires skill to make it, I always make it either too boiled or not enough boiled. Blekss~ 

Address : Quan Yi Kopitiam 泉益茶室

Jalan Besar, Kulaijaya

GPS : N01 39.653'  E103 36.262'

Business Hour : 7am - 12pm

CONNECTING YOU WITH YOUR FATHER!

~ TNT Express Malaysia launches ‘Honouring Fathers’ contest~

In conjunction with the upcoming Father’s Day celebration, TNT Express Malaysia has launched its ‘Honouring Fathers’ contest with an aim to connect loved ones. 

“Usually the breadwinner of the family, we see fathers being away from home more often due to their work commitment. At TNT, we saw this as a great opportunity for families to stay connected through us”, said S.C.Chong, Managing Director of TNT Express Malaysia. “This is also in line with one of TNT’s core principles in promoting family togetherness.” 

The ‘Honouring Fathers’ contest is open to all Malaysians. Participants are to visit TNT Express Malaysia website at www.tnt.com.my and click the Father’s Day icon. They will then upload a photo of themselves with their father plus share their message to their father in less than 20 words. Submission ends on 3 June 2013. On 5 June 2013, the top 3 winners will be announced. Winners will get a chance to deliver their gift to their fathers anywhere around the world absolutely free. In addition, the grand prize winner’s father will get a flight ticket to return to Malaysia to see the family. 

“Throughout the years, TNT Express Malaysia has built a reputation on being committed to meeting the needs of our customers, be it for large corporations, small businesses or individuals. Holding the tagline of “Sure We Can”, we have and will continue to be a logistic company that is flexible and offer end-to-end global solutions to service your international shipping needs – even a meaningful and interesting activity such as Honouring Fathers contest is devised to inspire the young generation to appreciate their loved ones,” he added. 

“With TNT’s efficient and reliable route networks such as the Asia Road Network, European Road Network and air networks, we can definitely deliver the gifts to the winning fathers at the designated time, in any parts of the world – we want to make this Father’s Day a truly memorable one”. 

For more information about the contest, visit www.tnt.com.my.

Inspiring Underprivileged Kids Through Performing Arts

KL Pac and StART Society Band Together for a Day of Learning, Fun and Laughter Through the Novartis Community Partnership Day 2013

Novartis Corporation in conjunction with the company’s global initiative of Community Partnership Day recently collaborated with the KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) and StART to play host to underprivileged kids from the welfare homes of Sunbeams, Rumah Ozanam and Ti-Ratana in a performing arts and dance workshop at the KL Performing Arts Centre. 

Facilitated by The Actor’s Studio and taught by KLPAC’s very own performing arts luminaries Mark Beau de Silva, Christopher Ling and Lex Lakshman Balakrishnan, the one-day workshop entitled “The Performer in You!” gave the kids an opportunity to learn various methods of artistic expression through dance, singing and acting accompanied by Novartis’ employees. “Once again The Actors Studio Academy congratulates the organizers. Opportunities like these should be done more often for the sake of the children,” said Dato’ Faridah Merican, Executive Producer and Director of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre. 

Joshua Lee, Programme Director of StART Society also shared the same sentiment when he mentioned that it was nothing less than wonderful when a local powerhouse in performing arts like KLPACand a multinational pharmaceutical company like Novartis take underprivileged children with the same passion and penchant under their wings.

During the event, the various parties had also organized a fund raising drive by selling T-Shirts, CDs and kids painting. “As a socially active and responsible company, we are proud to be able to bring new and once-in-a-lifetime experiences to these underprivileged kids in conjunction with our global initiative called Novartis Community Partnership Day (CPD),” said Annie Lim, Head of HR for Novartis Corporation Malaysia. “We wanted it to be fun and creative. When we spoke to KLPAC and StART about this idea, we knew it was something that would be significant not just for the kids but also members of the Novartis family,” added Lim.

At the end of the session and after a long day of learning the various performing arts techniques, the underprivileged kids had the honor of presenting a well-choreographed show at the lobby of KLPAC to the delight of all the guests present. 

This workshop collaboration is done in concurrencewith Community Partnership Day (CPD) on April 25,and an opportunity for more than 16,500 Novartis Group company associates in 56 countries - both large and small - to make an active contribution to their local communities. Around the world, the working day will be spent volunteering for charitable causes, as Novartis divisions contribute to a huge variety of projects. Established in 1996, CPD marks the anniversary of the creation of Novartis, and exemplifies our long-standing commitment to corporate responsibility. The majority of Novartis Group companies celebrate CPD today, while others are set to organize volunteer activities over the remainder of 2013.

Season's Cafe 时新 @ Johor Bahru City Square, Johor

Season's Cafe 时新 @ Johor Bahru City Square, Johor

On a heavy rain night, I come across from border to have my dinner here. Although that night traffic was terrifying congested and it was quite late in night already, but restaurant/cafe here were still operating. Feel glad that I am still in time for my dinner, or more appropriately supper?

One of a famous brand in Johor Bahru--Season is the cafe I visited on that night. Interesting to find out that most of the cafe, for example SDS and Lavendar, started gain their reputation with bakery, and expanded into cafe and increase the variety of foods.

Initially I was here for the buy 1 free 1 promotion, but too bad, the promotion just ended and replace with pasta promotion. Think on the bright side, I am not restricted to the buy 1 free 1 menu already lar, can order whatever I like and desire. So we act like very big eater and order 3 main dishes for two of us! 

Teriyaki Chicken Burger  RM13.90

This teriyaki chicken burger is highly recommended. I think you couldn't agree more with me that it has a very patriotic presentation, little Malaysia flag is planted on burger despite it was not national day. The juicy grilled chicken in between layers of bun looks so tempting. Debone chicken thigh is used, that is why the texture of the meat is so good, marinated well with teriyaki sauce, make it extremely flavourful. I like their fries too, not the kind of thin and dry, but plump and generous cutting makes it better biting texture.

Black Pepper Chicken with Rice  RM15.90

Black pepper grilled chicken chop is quite common, but the interesting presentation renders it appetizing. The rice is shaped into cylinder, and pair up with green salad, is a nutritious-wise combination.I am glad that they actually put in effort to make dishes outstanding, the rice is not normal white rice, but is stir-fried with egg, so it is more fragrant and even goes well with the black pepper sauce.

Cheese Seafood Pasta  RM13.90

To make sure that I am in line with their pasta promotion, we ordered a cheesy seafood pasta. The regular price is RM 16.90, now I can enjoy the luxury by spending RM 13.90 only. Two big prawn on top definitely attracts my attention, more sea treasure hidden in the pasta are awaiting to be discovered. Very worthy and filling! 

All in all, I quite like their foods because they really put their thought on the taste and presentation of the dishes, at the same time, at good and reasonable price. Next round, I will probably try the Swensen ice cream, the creative ice cream in the menu quite seducing too. 

Address : Season's Cafe 时新

Lot JK2-01 – 03, Level 2,

Jalan Wong Ah Fook,

80000 Johor Bahru, Johor.

Business Hour : 10am - 10pm

Tel: +607-221 0246

Website : http://www.seasongroup.com.my/

3D FUN FITNESS HITS LOT 10

~ Celebrity Fitness Malaysia proudly presents the 3D FUN Group Functional Fitness ~

Celebrity Fitness Malaysia is proud to introduce the 3D FUN Group Functional Fitness Studio, an all-new fitness concept in their Lot 10 club in downtown Kuala Lumpur, created by Celebrity Fitness Development Team. This is to improve human movement to allow better performance in daily activities, in their Lot 10 club in downtown Kuala Lumpur. 

Bosu

The 3D FUN Group Functional Fitness Studio consists of many new fitness programmes such as the Bosu, Kettlebell, ViPR. Celebrity Fitness also takes this opportunity to launch 2 new signature classes ie. Celebrity Fitness C-Heart Rate^TM and Celebrity Fitness Hit Back^TM.

Celebrity Fitness C-Heart Rate 

Celebs in ViPR

“Malaysians today are in search for a great fitness challenge to boost their fitness routines. The pursuit for the “fitness thrill and excitement” has long been the drive of many fitness novice and even, experts out there. To fulfill the needs and demands of this group, we introduce 3D FUN Group Functional Fitness Studio in Celebrity Fitness Malaysia” said Krishnan Malhotra, Country Group Fitness Manager of Celebrity Fitness Malaysia.

Bosu, which stands for “Both Sides Utilized”, will prove a class favorite for members who love challenging fitness moves. Here, instructors guide members to maintain overall body stability and body alignment through integrated movement. This programme is easily applicable to daily functional requirements because the human body’s everyday movements are in 3D – for instance, stabilizing one’s body on a stool while you are taking an object that is located above!

The Kettlebell is a traditional Russian training tool to develop full body conditioning as fitness. Those using a Kettlebell have their hands and wrists in neutral alignments, enabling greater endurance and longevity in the core lifts so that a much higher volume of exercises can be generated.

For whole body movement, ViPR would be the best option. Performing at the highest level with renewed sense of energy and movement possibility, ViPR training is a blend of lifting, shifting and twisting.

If you are new to indoor cycling class, Celebrity Fitness C-Heart Rate^TM is the perfect place to start. Its simple choreography is very easy to follow with easy speed sections and low intensity hills set to popular fun music.

Inspired by the current craze for self-defense moves, the Celebrity Fitness HitBack^TM class mixes traditional boxing, kick boxing, and Japanese-based martial arts to music, allowing members to punch, strike and kick with the best of them.

“The 3D FUN Group Functional Fitness Studio is specially created for people from all walks of life. Some may like challenging fitness programmes, others may prefer a slow pace workout and yet others may even prefer to increase their muscle mass. Whatever it may be, we have it,” said Krishnan.

He added, “3D FUN Functional Group Fitness Studio is certainly a new fitness resolution where one gets to enjoy, learn some fitness moves and work their body to shape. In fact, other programmes like Celebrity Fitness Fast Fit^TM, Celebrity Fitness TRX^TM fall under this group.”

Celebrities even swear by it - Henley Hii, Dennis Gan, Aenie Wong, Amber Chia, Baki Zainal, Julie Woon and many more were seen to experience the thrill and excitement of this new fitness revolution in the recent media review class.

“I’m so glad to be part of this new fitness program and I must say that it is indeed worth the experience. With a variety of new fitness programmes, one just has to determine what fits them – or else, I dare you to try them all,” said an enthusiastic Julie Woon.

Members of Celebrity Fitness have the privilege to join these new signature classes for free and 3D Functional Group exercises are also available at Celebrity Fitness Bangsar Village II. For more information, kindly contact Celebrity Fitness at 1300 – 222 – FIT (348) or log into:

www.celebrityfitness.com.

You may also become a fan at:

http://www.facebook.com/CelebrityFitnessMalaysia.