18 Let me take a ...selfie. Merry Christmas!

This is really all Rose' doing. She asked to see my selfie pics with the pandas, which I honestly didn't have.

If there's one thing I rarely do, it is to take a selfie or a wefie. I'll explain why. I find it a challenge to focus my eyes on the camera while trying to navigate my finger to the button on my smartphone. Haha, I know.

Anyway, it is Christmas and I am having a jolly good time. Cindyrina sent me a really lovely gift, in addition to the goodies I won from her blog contest. She is awesome!

Meet little blue Smurfette! A WE-fie was in order, surely. After 10 minutes, I gave up trying to look at the camera and just found it easier if I worked with looking at the button or somewhere else instead.

Tadaa...! What do you think?

May your days be filled with laughter. Merry Christmas! ;)

10 The 1600 Pandas World Tour, Dataran Merdeka

These adorable paper mache pandas caused much excitement at Dataran Merdeka on Sunday. It was an event for selfies, wefies and ...just taking photographs.

1600 Panda World Tour

Well, that's not the reason why they were flown in. They're here to pass on a message to you and me about conserving the environment.

Merry Christmas, y'all

In 2008, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) worked with renowned French sculptor Paulo Grangeon to launch the 1600 panda campaign. 1,600 pandas were made out of recycled paper. Why 1,600? It was estimated that there were only 1,600 pandas left in the wild at the time.

This campaign was organised to raise awareness of the endangered species, and to highlight the importance of preserving the environment. Proceeds from the 1600 Pandas MY event will be used to support local conservation initiatives.

Wait..this is all that's left of us?

There was, at first, childlike joy and wonder at seeing so many cute little panda statues being displayed. But once it sinks in that this is all that's left of them, there is sadness and a realisation that if we do not do something about it, then they, the pandas, and many other animals will go extinct.

Please take care of the environment because it is our home!

The 1600 Pandas event was published in a number of news and media portals today. The hype was amazing. Many stated that there were 1600 pandas on display at the launch and one local paper said thousands had made their way into our country. All I saw was something in the range of a couple of hundreds, maybe less. Mmm..where were they hiding..  

At the launch of 1600 Pandas World Tour in Malaysia

The good news? They'll be touring Malaysia for a month. I'll be making my way to see the pandas again and this time, I'll keep my eyes peeled for 1,600!

1600 Pandas at Dataran Merdeka

The details of the tour can be found on this Facebook page, in case you're keen to pay the pandas a visit : 1600 Pandas MY (https://www.facebook.com/1600PandasMY)

17 JW Marriott's Eco Christmas Tree

A long, lonnnNnnng time ago, I worked for a profitable multinational organisation that took ages to approve anything. Oh, the red tape! But Christmas was almost upon us and while the more established offices were having their fun, we were work weary and serious. I decided a little cheer was in order.

So, out I went one evening to hunt for a little tree. I was on a tight budget then. A third of my salary went towards my degree education, the rest to managing household expenses, a car and a home loan. Maggi noodles was my best friend! Even so, I never felt that I was short on anything in life. I have only fond memories of my go-getter days. I felt resilient.

It was a stroke of luck that I stumbled across a store that was selling a 6ft tree for only RM30. I snapped it up along with baubles and all. I cannot forget the excitement that filled the air when my colleagues saw the tree! Then on, we organised gift exchanges and a little party. It was a nice break from office tasks and we got to know each other a little better. 

I never claimed any money for it so the tree went home with me after I left the company. This tree that I speak of is now over a decade old and is the same one I put up yearly in my home, the one I've been blogging about.

As for the company? They finally approved a purchase request for one ;)
Well, enough about my tree! I've gone all nostalgic.

This post is supposed be about another tree that I have been oohing and aahing over. On our (friend and I) walkabout in the heart of Kuala Lumpur the other day, we decided to pop into the JW Marriott Hotel to see what their Christmas tree was like. I'm glad we did because it was really stunning and one of my favourites this year.

Here is JW Marriott's Eco Christmas Tree! And it is accompanied by lighted angels with trumpet in hand.

The JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur Eco Tree

This eco tree is made from recycled materials. Can you see the old magazines and mineral bottles? The Santa pieces are made from paper mache decorated by the hotel's employees.

Paper mache Santas by the staff of JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

Beautiful tree and it's nice that so many people were involved in making it. I love how this tree makes me feel - warm and fuzzy in the heart!

20 The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2014

It's happening NOW! My previous adventures here and here. As you can see, I am no newbie to The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale (BBW). I did mention in my previous blog post that I wasn't doing any holiday shopping because I wanted to save all my money for this sale. Well, this is it - check out my purchases.

My BBW Book Stash

And if you want tips, I say choose to go on a week day or early Sunday morning. Take a day off if you have to. This isn't just any sale. It's The Amazing Spider-man Big Bad Wolf!

My other advice? Bring a trolley bag because you WILL get carried away. You can choose to use the boxes provided by BBW to help you with the books, but unless you have strong arms, you're not going to get very far.

You can, however, leave your unpaid stash at the storage counter while you continue your book browsing.

Boxes!

And my final tip - Bring extra cash.

I woke up in the wee hours of the morning last Sunday just to get to the sale by 7am. There was ample parking space and it wasn't too crowded yet.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale In The Early Morning

The best part? No long queues at the cashier.

BBW Cashiers Taking A Break

I make it a point to leave by 11-ish. That's when it begins to get crowded. My visit to the BBW has always been peaceful and pleasant. You are looking at a pro. Hehe.

Check out some of the books I saw at the cookery corner.

BBW Cookery

I bet you recognise some of these chefs! Priced between RM15 to RM30, these books are a steal, I say.

BBW Cook Books

The Big Bad Wolf gives out bookmarks to good customers - one at the cashier when payment is made and another for filling up a survey form.

BBW Bookmarks

These cute button badges cost RM10 per pack. I wanted it but was torn between spending it on books or badges. I let the badges go.

BBW Button Badges

If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to howl, I mean ask. BBW has hired the friendliest peeps to attend to you.

BBW Help

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale ends on 16th Dec 2014. Have I mentioned that it's non-stop? That's right, you can shop at 3am if you like. It doesn't close for the day.
Location : MIECC, The Mines

Go and be wow-ed.

8 Christmas at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

A day out in the big city. Two girls, window shopping. That was our goal...plus a small spending budget.

"It would be folly to 'squander' our savings on a festive whim," so I thought to myself in the seriousness of a puppy chewing on her treats. The truth is, I really wanted to save every penny for a big book sale we were heading to this weekend. Well, we certainly made good on keeping our hands off our wallets!

Did we have a great day then? I describe it as magical. We were consumed by the holiday spirit - this, after seeing a beautiful Christmas tree outside a small boutique hotel. I haven't figured out what exactly it was that hit us, but we zipped through several malls snapping photos of every Christmas tree we saw.

These are just the ones I took at Pavilion, which in my personal opinion, was out-of-this-world enchanting.

Christmas at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Left corner of the Christmas Santa at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

An overall picture of the Christmas decor at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

More Christmas trees at the entrance of Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

The night scene - Christmas at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Although exhausted, we couldn't resist walking back to Pavilion to see how the trees would look like at night. We were surprised with a musical light show. This is a short video of it. Happens at 8PM ;)

On a side note,  Crabtree & Evelyn is giving out a mystery gift! Snap a photo of yourself at their store or Christmas booth, using the props provided. Upload the photo into Crabtree & Evelyn's 'Festive Joy Wishes' app on Facebook. Show this to the cashier to claim the gift. We did this on the spot via our mobile phone and were both rewarded with a tube of hand lotion. 

In case anyone's interested, Crabtree & Evelyn's Christmas booth is located near the main entrance of Pavilion. 

Crabtree & Evelyn Mystery Gift!

Looks like we didn't go home empty handed after all ;)

All in, we covered seven malls! Sticky with sweat and in need of a bath, badly. Exercise? Bah, pretty sure this counts as enough. I'm feeling healthier already.

10 Journey Into The Chocolate Museum

When it comes to museums, I try to be as enthusiastic as I can. The truth is, without good company and unless 'very' interesting, there's a good chance that I will start snoring in broad daylight. I'm exaggerating, of course.

The Chocolate Museum by Fidani is a place I'd been pestering my other half to visit for a long time. Chocolate, being the key to my enthusiasm. I finally convinced a girlfriend to go with me, but had no idea how to get there.

My hubby volunteered one Sunday. "I'll show you where it is so you can drive there on your own," he said.

When we arrived, it just seemed ridiculous not to take a look around since we were already there and it was open. Thus begins our chocolate adventure.

Chocolate Museum

Here I am inside the chocolate museum. We were free to roam on our own.

At the entrance of the Chocolate Museum

The journey begins with a history on cocoa and then chocolates, and their creators.

Chocolate History

This is a conching machine. It was invented by Swiss chocolatier Rudolphe Lindt. It is used to help develop a smoother texture for chocolate.

Conche

The chocolate kitchen (picture below) is equipped with the latest chocolate-making machinery. If you come at the right time, you will be able to see chocolatiers at work. 

The Chocolate Kitchen

At the end of our tour is the Chocolate Galleria where chocolates are said to be sold 'cheaper than outside'!

Chocolate Galleria

Cheaper? I did some shopping, of course!

When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile ~ Regina Brett

My Chocolate Purchase

That's that on my tour of the chocolate museum. It's a small place, no Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, but it was good enough for me and a nice way to spend an hour of our time.

The Chocolate Museum, which is located in Kota Damansara, opens daily from 10am to 5pm. Click here for location details.