My Entry For Blog It @ Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

My sisters are my best friends.

I know some are nodding your head and definitely agree with me. No friends are truer than my sisters, who shares my joys and sorrows, 24/7, with no fee or commitment attached.

In fact, I am one of the lucky one, I am blessed with 3 sisters. I came from a family of 4 girls. We are the 4 angels for Mommy and Daddy dearest (or so we think!). At times, we are also the "devils" that drive Mommy and Daddy dearest up the wall with our loud musics or late night partying!

Being in a family of 4 girls is so cool. We share clothes, shoes, bags, make-up and all the others girlly stuffs. Sharing almost the same shoe size and dress size, we basically get to have a wardrobe x 4!!! My sisters love to borrow my executive work wear and high heels and I love to borrow their funky clothing and accessories for weekend outings. Of course, we do have our ups and downs where we would fight over the most trivia thing like who get to use the bathroom first. Thank God, none of these fights involves any punching or kicking but more sisterly laughs that warm the house.

Being married now and all my sisters are already grown up (my youngest sister has just completed her final year at University), I do missed all those special bonding moments with my sisters. Where we use to have our holiday together has become an affair of “once in the blue moon” due to our busy work and personal schedules. Even family dinners are limited to Chinese New Year or birthdays gathering.

It would really be great if we could have a chance to dine at the fabulous Favola Italian restaurant @ Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur to catch up for old times and for a sisterly get-together where we can “camwhore” and stuff ourselves with all the yummy and delicious Italian antipasti and pasta without the rolling eyes of hubby or boyfriend. Well, not forgetting the cuppa of expresso and Tiramisu dessert too!

And oops, to complete the quota (me and 4 friends), of course I would like to invite Mommy dearest to join us for the delicious Italian fare too! After all, it is Mother's Day this month! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Keeping my finger crossed, I hope to be the lucky one to be selected to dine at Favola!! And yes, for those reading this blog post, Le Meridien is organizing a contest to reward you and 4 best friends to dine at Favola @ Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur. More information on the contest, please click here. Contest deadline 7 May 2010.

Favola, mean fable in Italian is well known for its delicious yet bold and simple flavors Italian cuisines. It is also the PERFECT place to share the spirit of an Italian family meal and many great stories.

Favola is located at Level 8, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur and is open for lunch and dinner daily (except for Saturday lunch) and seats 75 persons. The restaurant also has a private dining room which can accommodate up to 20 persons.

Violet from the Incredible Family costume

I dressed Werney as Violet from The Incredible Family for the recent Disney costume contest organised by PR Worldwide Live at One Utama Shopping Complex on 12 & 13 December 2009.

It was difficult to find any Incredible costume in Malaysia except for those in pasar malam and the quality is not that great. I have to search high and low and contacted many local costume shops, and unfortunately I couldn'd find any Incredible costume for Werney. Finally, I decided to create the costume from bit and pieces.

I bought a long red sleeve T-shirt (tight fitting one), red tights/stocking, black underwear, black gloove, black socks and shoes. For the Incredible logo, I put a huge sticker and sticked it to the chest area. I also sewed a bright orange ribbon as belt for the costume. For the mask, I pasted black coloured paper onto a party mask. It wasn't too difficult after all!

Werney did a dance on the stage for 2 minutes and was shortlisted for the final. However, she wasn't feeling too well on the second day and we couldn't attend the final. Anyway, see the full story featured in The Star paper dated 18 December 2009.

It was a great exposure for Werney as this is the first public contest she participated in. Being just 5 year old, she has to perform in front of hundred of shoppers. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!

Friday December 18, 2009

Disney characters come alive

By JADE CHAN
Photos by BRIAN MOH

ADORABLE Miyumi Teng, five, stole the spotlight with her colourful rendition of Under the Sea from Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the Disney Costume Parade at 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya last Saturday.

Miyumi’s routine included dancing in a sparkly blue mermaid’s costume and an underwater setting, complete with a shell as her mermaid home and a couple of aquatic friends.

Her performance earned her a spot in the finals, and eventually won her the grand prize in her age category.

Hero in disguise: Jian Sue Wern, five, acting out her performance as Violet from ‘The Incredibles’.

Alicia Poh, nine, was awarded the other grand prize for her ballet routine as Belle dancing to the theme song from Beauty and the Beast.

The Disney Costume Parade was held in conjunction with Disney on Ice presents Disneyland Adventure in Kuala Lumpur, which will be held in March next year.

The parade was part of a three-day event during which families stood a chance of winning show tickets by taking part in fun activities and enjoying special ticket offers.

“The children have to dress up like their favourite Disney character and are given two minutes each to portray the character in the most creative manner, whether by singing, dancing or playing a music instrument.

“Those who buy tickets at the roadshow are also entitled to a 25% discount,” said B. Kavita, manager of PR Worldwide, which is the Disney on Ice show promoter.

Exotic princess: Miyaki’s performance as Princess Jasmine from ‘Aladdin’ included her singing to ‘A Whole New World’ and dancing to ‘Arabian Nights’.

The children were divided into two age categories: ages four to eight (Category One) and ages nine to 12 (Category Two).

Sixteen competed in Category One, and 15 in Category Two during the contest’s initial stage.

Twelve finalists from each category were then selected to parade in the finals for a chance to win the grand prize of an opportunity to meet a surprise Disney Character during the show.

Other prizes included four VIP tickets to Disney on Ice Kuala Lumpur 2010 worth RM228 each and Disney merchandise for each grand prize winner.

Cute mermaid: Miyumi, five, clad in a sparkly mermaid costume as she plays Ariel while dancing to ‘Under the Sea’ from Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’.

All the other finalists received two show tickets worth RM128 each and Disney merchandise.

Yuki Wan, 30, said her daughters Miyumi and six-year-old Miyaki Teng had personally requested to play their favourite Disney princesses — Ariel and Princess Jasmine respectively — in the parade.

“The costumes were custom-made, but I helped them with their make-up and props. It was a very time-consuming project but well worth the effort because they both enjoy performing,” said the beautician.

“While this is their first time acting as Disney characters, they both actively participate in shows in their kindergarten and school.

“They’ve been watching Disney cartoons so many times, they knew immediately who they wanted to play in the contest.”

Wan said because her daughters enjoyed singing and dancing, she tried to encourage their passion whenever she could by supervising their practice sessions.

“My husband supports us by chauffeuring us around and giving us encouragement.

“My four-year-old son is a budding Michael Jackson impersonator, but I haven’t had time to practise with him because I’m so busy with his sisters,” she said.

Two other sisters who also took part in the parade were Jynn Kok, eight, and Jyllian Kok, six, who played Mulan and Pocahontas respectively.

Their outfits were a family affair, as their grandmother Nancy Tan sewed the costumes, and mother Juliet Tan did the trimmings and hair accessories.

“Because the girls were busy with their activities and a TV shoot, we had little time to make their costumes. Mulan’s was more difficult and required about five days, while Pocahontas’ outfit took a day.

“Both Jynn and Jyllian are Disney princess fans and love performing on stage,” said Juliet, a legal executive in her mid-30s.

“They started showing an interest when they were four, and have participated in various talent competitions and musicals. I’ve seen their confidence grow since they started performing.”

Juliet added that her daughters were also part of the KL Children’s Choir, wherein they had learnt to nurture their talent.

For ticketing and details of Disney on Ice presents Disneyland Adventure in Kuala Lumpur, visit www.axcess.com.my.

Disney costume contest

Sorry for the lack of posts recently as I was pretty busy with work and both princesses were down with fever, flu & cough again. It seems that every time one fell sick, another one will follow. Thanks God, both has recovered now.

Do you remember the yearly Disney on Ice show? It is usually organised by PR Worldwide. This year, they have a Disney costume contest and I have signed Werney up for that. Tomorrow will be the qualifying round.

If you have time to drop by, do come to One-Utama at 2pm to support Werney.

Will not reveal what she will be wearing yet but it is not one of those princess!

I have created her costume from bit and pieces and hopefully I have got it right. The only headache I have now is whether Werney will change her mind and refuse to go on stage! Let keep my finger crossed.

Should You Start An Online Home Business?

The thought of working at home can be filled with both excitement and anxiety. While it may be exhilarating to think that you can say "goodbye" to your boss, the day-to-day expenses such as petrol and school fees can be scary to think about giving up a steady paycheck.

In the past, women did not have many options when it came to starting their own business. The most popular choices were direct sales, home daycare, and so forth. If a woman took specialised classes, she would be able to do medical transcription from home, but the training did take time and money to complete. If a woman wanted to earn money fast, she was out of luck on that choice.

Thankfully, times have changed. New advances in technology have enabled people to quickly and easily start businesses from home. By using the internet to receive and turn in work, find clients and advertise their services, women can truly work from the comfort of their own homes.

Click here to find out how my friend, a work at home mom earns SGD3,000 during her confinement:

In today's world, women have many, many choices available to them when it comes to choosing a home business. The following guide will go over several of the most popular.

In the past, women only dreamed of finding ways to start their own home based business. Thanks to the internet, women really can accomplish this dream.

Starting a home based business not only brings in extra money, it can help you feel good about yourself, as well as set a positive example for your children.

They will see you as a successful "mini mogul", even if your income is a far cry from Bill Gates' or Donald Trump's.

A home based business can also help alleviate the boredom and depression that being cooped up inside the house brings on.

There are so many benefits to starting a home based business, the question isn't "should you start one"? it's "which one should you start"?

It will take some hard work and determination, but if you set your mind to it, you will be able to reach your goals.

Start your own Online Business today.

Homemade gingerbread man cookies recipe

As promised, please find the recipe below. Got the recipe from internet but I have modified it slightly and personally tested it!

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter (slightly thawed at room temperature)
60g brown sugar
90 g unsulfured mollasses or golden syrup (can get from certain supermarket or baking shop)
1 egg
300 g all purpose flour + 2 tbsp ground ginger powder + 1 tbsp ground cinnamon powder + 1 tsp soda bicarbonate (mix together & sifted) (A)

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree celsius
2. Beat butter, sugar and syrup till light and creamy
3. Add egg
4. Add (A) into the butter mixture and knead 2 minutes
5. Take out and shape into a flat dough
6. Cling wrap the dough / put the dough in a zipper bag and refrigerate for 1 hour/overnight
7. Take out and put dough in between 2 pieces of greaseproof paper and roll into desired thickness
8. Cut into gingerbread man shape and transfer onto baking tray
   
9. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown

Icing

1 big egg (white only)
280g icing sugar (sifted)
Assorted food colouring

1. Beat egg white with a fork until foamy
2. Add icing sugar in gradually
3. Beat till icing stand in soft peaks
4. Divide into bowls and mix with food colouring
5. Pipe using disposable paper piping bags or made the piping bag from greaseproof paper

The above recipe made about 24 cookies (depending on cookies cutter size). Mine is about 8cm.

Happy baking!

Gingerbread man cookies

Christmas is approaching soon and we "experiment" baking our first batch our gingerbread man cookies last weekend.

Both girls had a ball of time playing with the flour and dough and messing up my whole kitchen. Time to make the dough was 30 minutes (excluding the baking time & time to decorate the cookies) and I took one hour to clean up both girls and the kitchen!!! Flour were stuck to their hair, face and hand and everywhere too! Eeew.....

Anyway, we had a great time and the cookies turned out to be quite nice and yummy! Love it. Will share the recipe in another post.

Both girls playing with the flour and dough

Star shape cookies cutter from Ikea

Anney holding the mini rolling pin

Werney "massaging" the dough

Before baking the cookies

Decorated the cookies with icing, jelly bean and smarties

Werney's heart shape cookie for mommy

Another batch of cookies

Colourful rice on gingerbread man

Hand-in-hand gingerbread man

Flower cookies made by Werney

We also packed the cookies into individual plastic bag and tied with ribbon. Look nice right?

Gave the first batch of our cookies to my family members and in-laws too!

Werney's 5th Birthday Party

We celebrated Werney's 5th Birthday at McDonalds @ Bandar Utama Drive Thru' early this month. It was a belated birthday party due to Werney and Anney's hospitalisation in mid-October 2009. The doctor has advised that both need to stay away from crowd for at least 10 days post-hospitalisation to avoid a recurrence or transmitting the virus to others.

Well, I was too busy (or maybe to lazy?) to plan any party and took the easy way out of calling McDonalds. McDonalds BU has a dedicated personnel in charge of planning and organising birthday party for kids. It fact, it was quite interesting as the theme is Arty & Crafty Birthday Party. I ordered the Happy Meals for the kids and the McValue Meal for adults. We have about 30 adults and 15 kids in total, comprising mainly family members and some closed friends. Werney also invited a few of her school mates for the party.

The birthday cake was from Tracey at www.specialcakes.net. This year, I got Werney a Barbie Mermaid cake and she was crazy over it. I also ordered some helium balloons for the kids and a big princess balloon for Werney.

Everyone at the party had a great time and the best part was - no cleaning work for mommy after the party! Anney was crazy over the slides at McDonalds and had easily done 40 rounds of going up and down the slides! Yeah, this is my super active baby.

Werney also received a princess pencil case from Barbara & Ashley earlier during our weekly Yamaha JMC class. What a small world right? I got to know Barbara from the Yamaha class and she was the one that told me she recognised Werney from our first lesson at Yamaha. Thanks Barbara & Ashley for the lovely pencil case. Werney loves all things princess and Barbie now.