16 A Shiok Time At Swiss Dream Circus

Shiok-lah, that's how I would describe the Swiss Dream Circus. The performers put on a spectacular show. I was enthralled the moment Evgenia, the violinist and songstress, came on. Me, that emo makcik who sobs to herself dramatically when reading sad storybooks, had to dab her eyes once-twice in the middle of her performance.

The circus was all sorts of good fun and positive vibes. Hubs and I bought a bag of popcorn and water from the stalls stationed outside the entrance before going into the 4PM show. I asked the usher if we were allowed to snap photos - she replied, "Oh, yes!!" . I was excited to know that this was going to be a laidback thing with fun for everyone in mind. In case you're wondering, I did not abuse the camera privilege!

I was so caught up with the amazing acts I was seeing that video-ing and snapping pics became the last thing on my mind. I did, however, very quickly managed a few just to show off to friends and family. Lol.

It's hard for me to say which act I loved most. I just enjoyed it all. The breathtaking aerial acrobatics, the jaw dropping pole dance, the funny clown, the omg knife routine, the mesmerising diabolo spinning skills, the incredible Russian bar act - it was magical to me. In case you're keen to see the list of performers who made this show a success, I leave the link here for your convenience.

These are the few pics I snapped.
Can you get up from a split using no hands? Yurie Basiul did it flawlessly!

Yurie Basiul - Swiss Dream Circus

This is part of the knife throwing act. I was cringing in my seat, worried for the lady on the fast spinning wheel! Phew! No one was injured.

Igor and Tatiana - Swiss Dream Circus

Evgenia ended the show with a beautiful rendition of Time to Say Goodbye. Sniff. Wipe eyes.

Evgenia - Swiss Dream Circus

A look at the circus inside and out.

Swiss Dream Circus, Desa Parkcity

Spellbinding Stage Effects
Swiss Dream Circus, Desa Parkcity

Seats Getting Filled Up Quickly
Swiss Dream Circus, Desa Parkcity

There you go. That's how we spent our Sunday evening. Early next rain-fresh morning, we were blessed with a rainbow in the sky.

Rainbow in Kuala Lumpur

Oh, how I enjoyed my long weekend! Yes, it was four days off for many of us in Malaysia with two public holidays back-to-back.

18 A December To Remember

Out of all the months in the year, December is most magical for me. Peace, joy, love, all these words sum up the general atmosphere. People seem happier - school is out, holidays are in. This means lots of family gatherings and meeting up with friends.

I hung greeting cards we received on our Christmas tree this year. It's a nice feeling, this warmth that creeps up on me every time I look at it. The holiday season was not as hectic for me this round. I was most efficient having spring-cleaned my home in November and getting all the decorations up. I'd also gotten the presents wrapped and sent out!

Christmas Tree

My aunt and cousin flew in for a visit a couple of weeks before Christmas. We had a fabulous time shopping, catching up and teasing one another mercilessly. 1Utama and The Curve were the first places we hit. My aunt's luggage was filled to the brim on the first day itself. We felt very proud of her ..haha!

In a bid to avoid crowd and queue, we woke up at 5am the next day just to take my aunt to the legendary Big Bad Wolf book sales at Mines Convention Centre. I got ten books for myself. The rest were for my nephews. With the ones I purchased earlier from Popular Book's RM5 sale corner, I figure it could last me a year. I read pretty fast and have a habit of not putting a book down until I'm done. That's why I make sure I don't start on a new book until I've done my chores and run my errands. Also, my eyes need a break!

Big Bad Wolf Book Sale

Books I Bought

Pavilion Mall is always stunning at this time of year so aunt and I headed there for a look-see. Lucky us came across a LINE pop-up store at Tokyo Street corner - they were giving out free gifts to anyone whose Birthday fell in January. My aunt and I qualified! We showed them our MyKad, the LINE app on our phone and voila, we were given a cute tee, a bag and stickers. My aunt found it unbelievable - "So easy to get free things one meh..."

Christmas At Pavilion, KL

Free LINE Merchandise

My aunt went home, there ended her adventures in KL. Then came the Winter Solstice Festival. This year, I made a different version of 'tangyuan' (glutinous rice ball). I rolled some up with organic moringa powder - it turned a lovely shade of green. We enjoyed it with honey chrysanthemum tea.

Moringa Tangyuan

When my cousin informed that she would be popping by my house one Saturday, I decided to bake her a cake. I woke up early, whipped up a batter for butter cake and kept my fingers crossed as it went into the oven.

It was wrapped prettily and passed to my cousin. She buzzed me later asking for the recipe, saying that they loved it so much. Sigh ..best day ever.

Butter Cake For My Cousin

Christmas day itself was a quiet affair. We skipped doing the 'open house' thing this year. Hubs and I were feeling the after-effects of too much celebrating. It was nice to just chill at home. The feasting and festiveness hasn't ended and we both needed the break.

Rest Is The Sweet Sauce Of Labour~ Plutarch

18 Alce Nero and Her World Best Home Cook Contest 2017

The Her World Best Home Cook 2017 contest came to an end last Saturday with Michael Cheong declared as champion for his remarkable Moroccan Lamb in Spaghetti Baskets, winning RM3,000 in cash! The Grand Prize winner also walked away with Tefal and Alce Nero products.

Her World Best Home Cook Contest 2017 Winner -Michael Cheong (in red)
Judges, from left: Nicholas (Alce Nero), Eena (Her World Malaysia),
Ili Sulaiman (Celebrity Chef), Jack (Tefal)

The contest, sponsored by Alce Nero Malaysia and Tefal, was held in front of a live audience at Shah Alam Convention Centre as part of Tefal's Carnival Sales event.

Runner-up, Angeline Ng gave stiff competition with her fantastic Spaghetti Maki roll creation. Jean Loh took 3rd place serving up a delicious pasta dish with Tri Color Peppers, Prawn and Roasted Tomato Pomodoro sauce. To watch the winners announcement in full, this is the link to the video on Her World Malaysia's Facebook page.

Judges Ili Sulaiman (Celebrity Chef), Eena (Editor of Her World Malaysia), Nicholas (Alce Nero) and Jack (Tefal) had a tough time deciding this year's winner as participants upped their game with beautiful food styling and recipes that wowed.

From Top-Left, clockwise: 1) Eena, Editor of Her World Malaysia kicking the event off.
2) Judges tastingthe dishes. 3) Participants in action.

I was there from beginning to end. It was fun visiting the booths surrounding the stage whilst waiting for the contestants to finish their dish for judging. The event lasted just over three hours.

My favourite booth was Alce Nero Malaysia's. No surprise there since I use their products regularly. I sampled both Acacia and Wildflower honey, smacking my lips over the mild, yummy well-rounded flavour. The acacia honey was going for a bargain at a Buy 1, Free 1 promo; I couldn't resist so you know what I did there! It was a bestseller at the booth.

Alce Nero Products

Alce Nero is well known for their organic pasta and pasta sauces too. I eagerly tried the macaroni in Organic Tomato Sauce with Vegetables. Excellent stuff. See the smiling aunty manning the Alce Nero booth (pictured below)? She is an absolute sweetheart, same as the other ladies there. They attended to my questions wholeheartedly.

The moment I spotted Celebrity Chef Ili Sulaiman, I made a beeline for her. Me and new blogging buddy, Amy (mamatisya.blogspot.com) were thrilled when she agreed to a wefie. She is the nicest person!

From Top-Left, clockwise: 1) Tasting Alce Nero's honey. 2) Me winning the lucky draw.
3) Amy, Chef Ili and Me (Thanks for the pic, Amy!). 4) An Overview of Tefal Carnival Sales.

Before the judging for Her World's Best Home Cook contest came to an end, we were asked to submit a form guessing who the winner would be. Those who got it right would be in a draw to win prizes. Two were up for grabs. Guess whose name got picked out of the bag? ... Mine, haha!  

I was both thrilled and stunned at the same time. You know that feeling when you're on a high and it's all happening so fast that it seems like you're in another world? That's how it was for me, surreal. I jumped off my seat to receive the lucky draw prize, next thing I knew I was thanking several people and it didn't even feel like I had gone up there at all.

I finally met Tengku Mirafita from Alce Nero whom I'm very thankful for the invitation to this event. I went home with a lovely goodie bag from Alce Nero, a Tefal blender from the lucky draw, an electric steamer I had purchased at half price and fond memories!

From Top-Left, clockwise: Alce Nero goodie bag and Tefal blender. Tefal steamer.
The cashier counters at Tefal Canival Sales.

Registration Counter

To end, I say - Best day ever!

For more information on Alce Nero products and promotional updates, follow them on Facebook at  
https://www.facebook.com/AlceNeroMalaysia/ .

This is a sponsored post.

That said, this piece is wholly written by me and all opinions are my own.

Please read the Disclaimer for this blog under Policies.

21 We Bare Bears 1001 Expo : So Cutelah

" We're young at heart, right? .. Let's go to the We Bare Bears expo! "  My aunt chimed in with a big yes. Hubs was as enthusiastic.

Hello, everyone! We're from 'We Bare Bears'.

We made it a mission to wake up early one Sunday morning to get there before the crowd of exuberant little people did. Imagine how thrilled kids will be to see these bears. Next thing you know, the place will be filled with, " Mummy, let's go here! Papa, let's go there! "

It was an hour drive to Eco Forest which was near Malaysia's famed Broga Hill. Lucky us got great parking spot up front so we didn't have to walk far to the expo.

In case you're in the blur, like me, 'We Bare Bears' is an animated series produced by Cartoon Network. I have yet to catch an episode. All I know is - There are cute bears in Semenyih and it was going to be fun exploring the place!

We registered our names at the counter for an entrance wrist tag to get in. No payment necessary.

We Bare Bears 1001 Expo

Eco Forest is a new gated and guarded property development by EcoWorld. This bear expo is a great way to draw people to the remote area for a peek at what's being offered - lots of beautiful greenery, of course ..and a row of double-storey show houses.

Anyway, let's not get distracted. Check out the cuteness of these bears! I could feel the air of festivity, the joy of being with family, the mood to photograph. It was a stunning landscape of inflatable bears.

We Bare Bears

We Bare Bears - Oi, Look Here-Lah

Yes, I Do Think They're Cute!

Hmmph! Leaving Already? Stay Longerlah.

This is Malaysia's first and tallest inflatable bear stack according to The Malaysia Book of Records. Look! Much taller than the houses behind.

We Bare Bears - Tallest Bear Stack

We Bare Bears 1001 Expo, Eco Forest
Left: Close-up of Highest Bear Stack

Besides bears, there are other interesting structures like the more permanent bird tree sculpture, animals such as rabbits and a lion made from plastic foliage and a giant inflatable duck.

The Scene At Eco Forest, Semenyih

We Bare Bears 1001 Expo

See how huge the duck is?

Eco Forest

That's not all we've been oohing and aahing over. The landscape was peppered with cheery flowers. I know my blogging friend Nancy will love this!

Beautiful Flowers at Eco Forest, Semenyih

The exhibition ended on 3rd September 2017 but I hope they'll bring it back soon. I know a lot of families with kids will enjoy this.

18 The Countdown To 2017

FuuUuuhh....fuUUuuuhhhh ! Just blowing dust off my keyboard. 

I've been away for such a long time, I don't know where to begin. My second Melaka trip? Christmas happenings? New Year celebration? Food I ate? Meeting the Cake Boss?

Happy New Year! -- I'll start with this. Wishing all my blog friends a very good 2017. May it be filled with wondrous adventures, love and laughter.

My New Year was supposed to be a quiet affair. We had planned on staying home, watching TV and at the stroke of midnight, watch the fireworks from the comfort of our balcony.

"Where will you be celebrating New Year?" I whatsapped my cousin early in the morning.

She replied with her home address, followed by the same question. I responded with the same. We haha-ed over that.

An hour later, I saw an ad on Facebook about a countdown party at Desa Park City (DPC). I sent hubs the online flyer with no real intention to go. It was just to show him what was going on in his favourite hangout. But he buzzed back with an enthusiastic " Let's go! " that I found hard to decline.

MM Cineplex at eCurve

By 4.30PM, we were making our way to a countdown party ...only we chose to go to IPC Mutiara Damansara instead after deciding that it would be a good idea to watch a movie to while the time away. It would be hard to wait the hours out at DPC - there was no cinema plus very few restaurants and shops.

My Sakae Sushi Dinner

We had dinner at Sakae Sushi, watched Passengers at MM Cineplex, shopped for a gift, then went outside to catch the concert in the last two and a half hours. There was a huge crowd. The atmosphere was amazing. People were singing along to the songs. We were lightly sprayed with party foam and colourful strings by a nearby group of people. That fun was short-lived as security confiscated the items within seconds!

Then, it was THREE! TWO! ONEeee....the fireworks went off. Here is a short video of the mesmerising light display which lasted almost ten minutes.

What an amazing start to 2017.

16 Hands-On Cooking Workshop With Alce Nero

When Alce Nero Malaysia offered me a spot on The Malaysian Women's Weekly Hands-On Cooking Workshop, I was quick to respond with an affirmative.

Five minutes later, I was kicking myself and cursing over this quote by Richard Branson that had me signing up for things on the spot without thinking things through or asking for the details before I do : If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!

Whilst I was excited about going, I had a small case of the jitters because it was my first time at a hands-on workshop and I hadn't done any stove cooking in years. Years! I whip my meals up in a simple no fuss multi-purpose electric cooking pot. So I went to the workshop with my fingers crossed that I wouldn't be defeated by how-do-I-start-these-things and the fiery flames that would follow.

No such thing happened, of course. The Cooking House (where the workshop is being run) uses induction heating cooktops and blunt knives. I believe the knives were intentionally left unsharpened for safety purposes.

Hands-On Cooking Workshop With Alce Nero

The first thing we did was to register our attendance.

Registration In Progress

This is what the cooktop looks like. We were gathered in teams of five.

Cooktop

These were the dishes Chef Pei Ling taught us to prepare. Baked prawns topped with cheese, salted egg pasta and jam-filled hot cakes with poached pears. Our food presentation was amateurish but this in no way affected the taste of the food - pretty delicious! I'm going attempt cooking these at home soon. If you're on instagram, follow me at 'snoringsheep' for my food adventures.

Salted Egg Pasta, Baked Prawns and Jam-filled Hot Cakes

By the time I walked out of the workshop, I had gained new friends and a confidence that said, "I can do this stuff ..haha!" I had also totally forgotten that I was down with the cough. My itchy throat behaved during the 3 hours I was focused on the workshop.

Finally, a group picture taken by the organisers of the event. We left the cooking house with an Alce Nero goodie bag in hand.

Photo credit: Women's Weekly Facebook

10 The Malaysian Women's Weekly Beauty Bus 2016

I enjoyed myself thoroughly at The Malaysian Women's Weekly magazine beauty bus event last year. It was exciting to finally meet the Editor of the magazine in person and I took the guts to ask for a wefie. I shared pictures I took in a collage on my instagram account, 'snoringsheep' and was blessed with a lovely prize!

So when I found out that the Beauty Bus was was rolling into town again, I marked my calendar. I didn't go all out like I did last year since I had other plans with Hubs. It was a five-minute thing. Hubs drove into the lane where the bus was parked at IPC shopping centre. I got off, queued for the goody bag and hopped back into the car again!

This is the Beauty Bus where ladies can get beauty tips from the experts first hand.

The Malaysian Women's Weekly Beauty Bus

Not a long queue in the morning. Besides the goody bag, we got to spin the wheel for an extra gift.

The Malaysian Women's Weekly Beauty Bus Goody Bag Collection

The goodies. I use these products when I travel. Sample size is perfect for weekend trips - light and convenient to pack.

The Malaysian Women's Weekly Beauty Bus Goody bag

I enjoy going for events like these. It's something out of the norm for me. Do you?

16 Malayan Tapir Awareness Campaign - An Art Exhibition!

Has anyone heard of World Tapir Day? I've never, that is, not until running into the Malayan Tapir awareness campaign in Publika. I was nosing around the area with my cousin and baby nephew.

We were there for lunch and a walkabout. It so happened that it was the day of the launch of this campaign. It is an art exhibition with many activities lined up until 8th May, when it ends. Lucky us. My 8-month old nephew is such a cutie, giggling and reaching out to touch the nose of the larger Tapir exhibit as though it was alive.

It is estimated that there are just over a thousand Malayan Tapirs left in the wild. Their dwindling numbers is caused by deforestation and hunting. Like many other animals, it has fallen into the endangered species category.

ArtSemble presented an impressive three thousand clay tapir models, made by schoolchildren across Malaysia, for this art exhibition.

Three Thousand Strong Miniature Clay Tapirs

Miniature Clay Tapirs

The huge Malayan Tapir (pictured below) is made from bamboo and cloth.
 

Save The Malayan Tapir!

I was enthralled to see this Tapir sand art by Ikhwan Saloot, known to be the only active sand sculptor in Malaysia. He hails from Penang.

Tapir Sand Sculpture

If you wish to do your bit to help the Tapirs, you could contribute to the fund raising programme by purchasing a t-shirt or by joining the various workshops they have lined up such as clay art, face painting and origami. There's also a story-telling session - Timmy Tapir learns to do what's right. Sounds like something we should all listen to!

Tapirs Of The World

A daily Facebook contest to win a plush toy is on-going.

Facebook Contest

I have only seen the Malayan Tapir in pictures. This is how it will be like for the future generation as many more animals become extinct; a sad reality until we stop cutting down forests indiscriminately.

Will you be making your way to the Tapir art exhibition?

22 My Name On A Nutella Jar

Almost four weeks into March, and boy has it been invigorating! I took visiting relatives on several sightseeing trips and went to a once-in-a-lifetime event. My blog took a backseat as I attended to adventures that life threw at me. Now I'm back and raring to write type! 

Did you hear about Nutella's personalised jars campaign?

The moment I saw an advertisement about it on Facebook, I knew I had to be there. The date on my table planner was circled so enthusiastically that the pen almost ripped the paper. This excitement is not surprising! I'm surrounded by Nutella-loving people. My friends and family get starry-eyed at the mention of Nutella. I was no different.

I expected a long queue, so I went early and eager to snap up five jars.

1Utama Shopping Mall - #yourNutella event (9 Mar to 13 Mar)

Imagine my disappointment when I heard that it was one per head, per queue. Argh! I'd have to line up five times! That said, I could see the logicality of restricting the purchase; it was to give everyone a chance to own one without waiting too long for their turn. Fair enough.

I hadn't planned on being out longer than a couple of hours because I had lunch plans with a family member; so I bought only a jar for myself.

The Queue for #yourNutella

My Nutella journey began with purchasing an empty plastic jar at RM15.90. Moving on to the next counter, I was given a free 'Spot The Difference' activity book. Then, I was guided to a keyboard where I was asked to type my name. After that, we were ushered up the stage to place our jar on a conveyor belt. Off it went into a mysterious giant Nutella-shaped 'machine' with a huge screen. My name was displayed on the screen minutes later showing that they were working on mine.

Finally, my jar appeared at the other end, filled with Nutella and labelled with my name!  It was placed into a paper bag and ready for collection. I took my personalised jar and headed to the photobooth where my picture was taken and printed out as a nice souvenir.

Nutella Photo Booth

Nutella Activity Book

I got home, happy with the whole experience ...at the same time, disheartened; a feeling of incompleteness. Nutella, to me, has always been about warmth. Here I was with a jar that had my name on it without anyone else to share the joy with.

Right, that's me!

"I'll get it for you," my grinning Machoman offered. Are you sure? How? If you're busy, let it go, alright? I'll be fine.- I shot out.

But hey, it was a Saturday. My hero organised some friends and they got the rest of the personalised Nutella jars for me. And best of all, I heard they had fun!

Nutella means Friends and Family

....The end.

P.S. The nutella event may have come to a close but I heard that they will be selling personalised Nutella jars at several supermarkets from mid April until end of May 2016. Follow https://www.facebook.com/NutellaMalaysiafor details.