There is HOPE!

Golden Bake SS2 - Pandan Layer Cake

2011-10-04T05:42:00.000-07:00

If you were having a craving for the Pandan Layer Cake from Golden Bake SS2, and drove all the way there, only to find it closed down and hyperventilated, worry no more. The shop is closed but the recipe is very much alive!

Now, Lisa's Pandan Layer Cake :)

Photo Credit

Lisa (who also happens to be hubby's aunt) is now making Pandan Layer Cakes for sale!
Available in 2 sizes.

1kg: RM45

Also available are yam and durian flavours (at different prices).

For orders, do give at least 4 days notice.

Please contact Lisa at 016-3477943 to find out more. Lisa's FB page here :)

A blog review here :)

Chicken Rice Recipe

2011-08-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of what to cook - and me being a lover of one-dish meals with no more than 5 ingredients, decided to google up a simple chicken rice recipe. (I love google!) Came across a very attractive blog with step-by-step instructions to make a simple chicken rice dish - all in the rice cooker. Hooray! I kid you not, when I looked at the photos, I could smell the aroma emanating from the finished dish! What a beaut.

Photo credit

Please visit Kimberly's "Mom's All In One Pot Asian Ginger Chicken Rice Recipe" - and you'll know what I mean!

Thanks a gazillion for this Kimberly - super duper quatrooper love it :)

Wonderful Cupcakes!

2011-08-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

I was having a craving for my friend's cupcakes.
(I'd written a blog post about her wonderful cakes in a previous post.)
Went to take a look at her blog.
Found beautiful cupcakes all around.
Left a comment (plus drool) on one of her posts "Craving for your cupcakes."

The next morning, I found a FB message from her.

"Where are you today? I'll pass you a box of cupcakes."

I squealed in delight and was so UBER happy!!!

In the afternoon, she sent me 12 gorgeous looking cupcakes.

Late as we were for a meeting, the hubs and I just had to gobble a few down.

MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... JUST as how I remember it to be.

Absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!

Now you see it

Now you don't!

Check out her blog at http://ribbonsandcakes.blogspot.com/

Ballet Lessons

2011-05-03T08:28:00.001-07:00

Photo credit here

For the little ballerina in you. If you are a grown person ie adult, and want to pursue ballet lessons, you can! Sooner or later, you'll not only get to know the ballet terms and ballet moves, but you'll be able to actually dance too. I'm sure of that! Here's this fantastic blog for ballet lovers :)

For more information on ballet lessons for adults, please call Staphanie Mun @ 012-385-1501 or visit www.mylilballerina.blogspot.com

Sofia Restaurant, Melbourne

2011-03-03T04:21:00.000-08:00

While we were in Melbourne, my baby cousin Estelle took us to dinner at Sofia Restaurant along the Burwood Highway. Sofia's is known for their homemade pasta. Estelle did the ordering and what a massive order it was. Gastronomically delightful :)

The portions - mama mia! HUMONGOUS! Here's the grilled chicken salad

Spaghetti Sofia (apparently home-made pasta!)

Smoked salmon pizza. Now where's the picture of the gorgeous mushroom risotto? I don't particularly fancy risotto, but the risotto was absolutely fab!

I was so happy with dinner! The food was delicious!!!

Definite recommend Sofia Restaurant :)

299 Burwood Hwy
East Burwood
Phone: +61-3-9803 5299
http://www.sofiaburwood.com.au/

The Green School, Bali

2011-03-01T03:18:00.000-08:00

I'm "leaving" Australia for a bit - as I came across this fantastic international school called Green School Bali. I was at Desa Parkcity one day and saw a big sign board stating that the International School of Parkcity (ISP) would start its operations in September of 2011. Went home and googled it and came to the ISP website. Checked out the principal's CV - very impressive. He'd just come from Green School Bali - an international school.

Photo credit: www.greenschool.org

Googled it and was blown away by what the green school had to offer! See for yourself here and be mesmerised by the wonderful concept of the green school! Don't you wish you were here?! What a great international school! The post was written by Imran Ahmad, the author of "Unimagined - A Muslim Boy Meets the West".

SO NICE!

Queen Victoria Market

2011-02-01T04:03:00.000-08:00

Another highlight of our trip to Melbourne :)
Today we went to Queen Victoria Market (Vic Market)!

Here we are :) Shops and shops of wonderful stuff!

A whole lot of delicious looking pastries

A whole lot of gooey cheeses

A whole lot of lip smacking cured meat

A whole lot of plump juicy olives

What a nice place to visit for foodies like us!

After some massive sms exchanges with a friend, we finally found the bratwurst place he had told us that we absolutely MUST eat! The Melbourne Bratwurst Shop at the Vic Markets.

Photo credit here

The bratwurst was delicious! We chomped on it and happily downed it with a latte - ah, we love Melbourne!

We continued our journey, and on an on, lots and lots of the freshest seafood, poultry, beef, fruits and vegetables .... EVERYTHING! Ooh, so happy!

We love Queen Victoria Market!

China Bar Signature Asian Buffet, Melbourne

2011-01-17T04:14:00.000-08:00

During our recent trip to Melbourne, we visited many places of interests. I'll pick and choose a few of the highlights worth recommending :)

As usual, if you're Asian, most highlights of holidays would be food! LOL.

After patronising many kinds of restaurants in Melbourne (mostly for non-Asian food), we decided one day to finally take up my aunt's offer. Since Day 1 she had been wanting to take us to this Asian Buffet place called China Bar. I violently objected, not wanting to come to Australia and have to eat Asian food! Every now and again she would say, "Eh, want to go to China Bar or not?"
"Don't want!" I would reply.

Well, well, at Day 14 in Melbourne, look where we ended at...

China Bar Signature Asian Buffet! Ha ha ha ha ha

Not only that, but would you believe it ... I was terribly looking forward to the visit!

See, that's what repetitive conditioning does to you...after the drummings of "ChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBar
ChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBar
ChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBarChinaBar" DAY IN DAY OUT
(but of course I'm slightly exaggerating).

View from our table

The salad bar

The preaching of the China Bar gospel was definitely fruitful. The succulent roasted pork was all together worth it. Mmmm.....

Perfectly roasted duck too *nom nom nom*
We also had dim sims, stir fried vegetables, curries, double boiled soups, satays (which were excellent), sushi, and HEAPS more.
Definitely one of the nicer Asian restaurants in Melbourne!
Thank you my beloved aunt for the wonderful treat!

China Bar Signature Asian Buffet
380 Burwood Highway
Burwood East
Vic 3151
Australia
+613 9887 8011
http://www.chinabarsignature.com/

Fatty Crab Restaurant: Order Food Online!

2011-01-12T21:38:00.000-08:00

I saw this header in one of my emails' subject heading this morning,
"[50% Off] Seafood + free delivery for 2 pax: Fatty Crabs’ Signature Green Chilli Sweet & Sour Crab + Special Fried Rice + 6 Mantou Buns. Only RM37"

(Photo from Fatty Crab website)

I subscribe to this group buying site called Groupsmore. They have deals everyday or every other day. You sign up and you get to buy stuff with group discounts :)

ANYWAY ... back to the Fatty Crab promotion. I clicked on the email link and it took me to a very mouth-watering place! What's more interesting ... I never knew Fatty Crab did deliveries! I also never knew that Fatty Crab has their own website! Here it is http://fattycrabs.com/

My my. I was thoroughly impressed.

Anyway, just to share with you (if you didn't know, like me) about this "order food online" service that Fatty Crab has. Happy ordering!

Allegro Cafe @ SS 15 Subang Jaya

2011-01-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

We rarely head to Subang Jaya as it is relatively "far" away from where we are. But, we decided to go to Empire Hotel Subang one day. While in the neighbourhood, we drove around, and found Subang Jaya to be quite a nice place! Many many restaurants in Subang Jaya.

So, when our friends told us that they'd take us to Subang for dinner, we were delighted to be able to sample some food from one of the restaurants there called Allegro Cafe. Allegro Cafe @ Subang Jaya was not what we expected it to be, looking from the outside. It's situated on the first floor of a shop lot. We walked up the stairs and into a very cosy restaurant! Wow! I was thoroughly impressed :)

(Photo above is from Allegro Cafe's facebook page - the rest below are mine)

Warm lightings, cosy setting providing a very soothing ambience!
Now how about the food?

The mushroom soup was nice.

Mushroom cheese bruchetta was nice.

The tomato bruchetta was super nice

The Caesar salad, apparently. Didn't taste like Caesar salad - more like the warm chicken salad dish you get from Delicious (Ms Read's Cafe). But, it was nice nevertheless.

My mouthwatering medium-well steak. *drrrroooooolll* It was SO tender and SO succulent. Served with a red wine mustard sauce on a bed of aglio olio spaghetti. Oh, hello 2011!
Hubby's sole with some lemon dressing was good too. I still prefer my red meat :p

For dessert, we had tiramisu (which was quite homemade), and apple strudel ala mode (so so only).

Overall, it left a lasting impression on us. The price was good too! About RM45 for my steak, and for the other dishes about RM20. Slightly cheaper than most cafes. Very very good! I highly recommend! So far, the best restaurant in Subang Jaya! (At least in MY sample size ;))

Allegro Cafe
11A 1st Floor
Jalan SS 15/4
Subang Jaya
Tel: 03-5631 5682

10 February 2011: Oh, just saw that an excerpt of my review was featured at Milk-A-Deal! If you want to get discount vouchers for a pasta/pizza with ice lemon tea at 58% off, visit their website here!

14 February 2011: Whaddya know, Groupsmore is offering discounts too. Check the deal out here!

16 February 2011: 79% discounts at Everyday! Click here to get the deal :)

iSMILE Dental Center - Good Dental Clinic in Kuala Lumpur/Petaling Jaya

2010-12-30T22:36:00.001-08:00

If you are trying to find a dentist in Kuala Lumpur/Petaling Jaya, a good dental clinic to go to would be iSMILE Dental Center :)

(Photo taken from http://www.ismile.com.my)

I've been going to this dental clinic (located in Damansara Uptown) for close to three years now - and have been super happy with the excellent service I get there. I see Dr Jean Ong as she's such a warm, pleasant and gentle lady. Stepping into the clinic, you would think that you've come to someone's house. The place doesn't reek of "dental clinic" smells - if you get what I mean. Neither is the colour scheme of blue and white - in fact, the office has such contemporary colours! The lighting is warm, soft music is played, comfy sofas for you to sit on, magazines, wifi - all this make the whole experience so nice! As a matter of fact, I was just there this morning, and while waiting in the "sitting room" - I almost felt like putting my feet up. Yes, I forgot I was not at home, but at a clinic!

(Photo taken from http://www.ismile.com.my)

Elaine, the Front Desk Manager's voice was so friendly and cheerful when I made the appointment over the phone :) (Mind you, I think I had to make my appointment 5-6 weeks in advance! Yes, it's THAT popular!) Elaine even sms-ed me yesterday to remind me of my appointment. When I arrived at the clinic this morning, she warmly greeted me by name :)

(Photo taken from http://www.ismile.com.my)

I had a simple cleaning job done today. It was pleasant and painless :) As a matter of fact, my dad's tooth broke some months back, and I took him there for her to pull the rest of the tooth. According to him, he didn't even feel the pain of the needle when an injection was administered. I think I read somewhere on the website that they use special needles.

So, if you are looking for a good dental clinic, I highly recommend iSMILE Dental Center :)

Dream Cafe at Dream Centre (DUMC)

2010-12-08T23:09:00.000-08:00

This is where I have my lunch, most weekdays! The Dream Cafe at Dream Centre (DUMC) - located just next to Jaya 33, serves an array of sumptuous dishes for your "economy rice" lunch! Have a look at the photos! The Dream Cafe serves pork-free food :)

Here's how you get to the Dream Cafe at the Dream Centre :)
It's super easy to find parking as the Dream Centre has LOTS of parking spots for you. Not only that, as the map suggests, if you are working around the Section 13/14 area, there's also a back gate access in order to enter the Dream Centre grounds.

The Dream Cafe is fully air-conditioned and that's why I LOVE eating there - good food, convenient and stress-free :) The prices are pretty reasonable too. On average you pay RM1.50 for a drink and a plate of "economy rice" should cost you about RM5 for one meat, one vegetable and one tofu dish WITH rice. The servings are really generous and the quality of the food is excellent. You get free soup as well!
(Note: Best to arrive early, say 12.00-12.45pm as that's when the dishes are freshest and in abundance)

If "economy rice" is not your cup of tea, you also get to order ala-carte - rice or noodles - in individual portions. The top seller is the Kong Lam Mee. There's also Black Bean Fried Rice (either you like it or you don't. I don't, but my friends love it.), Yin Yong, Hokkien Mee, Thai Fried Rice and lots more. Noodles (except Kong Lam Mee) are RM4.50 per plate, and rice, RM5.00 per plate.

Not only that, you will find the best scones at the Dream Cafe! Warm, crumbly and freshly baked - served with cream and home-made strawberry jam. It's RM2.50 per scone. What a bargain eh? Super yummy. Other desserts available are carrot cake (RM3.50), moist chocolate cake (4.50) and caramel custard (RM2.00).

It's really worth the visit!

The Dream Cafe opens from
Tues - Friday at 11.15am to about 3.00pm
Saturday at 11.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 8.30am to 1.30pm

Their weekend menu is slightly different. You can go yourself to find out what they serve. Generally, they are open during the day.

I hope you enjoy this place as much as I do! :D

Address: Dream Centre (DUMC), No.2 Jalan 13/1 Petaling Jaya (next to Jaya 33)

Victoria Rossa English Tea Room @ Hartamas Shopping Centre

2010-11-30T17:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long silence! Haven't really been trying products/services, nor has there been an outstanding one to recommend ... so there.

My friend took us to her friend's "shop" in Hartamas Shopping Centre for a high tea. I didn't expect much - even though the place looked nice. Sometimes shops are so nicely decorated but the food is icky and yucky.

This place is called Victoria Rossa - situated on the first floor of Hartamas Shopping Centre. To be exact, here's the address: Unit K20, Level 1, Hartamas Shopping Centre (right across from Pineapple Computer store). Everything is dolled up in Victorian splendor - very elegant and pretty.

The menu - so shweet :)

My friend ordered one of those tea sets - that came with cucumber sandwiches, butter cake and scones, accompanied with tea - very nice tea!

Cranberry and raisin scones - fresh, light and buttery

Nice tea pots and tea cosys - the experience is building up very quickly!

Hmm, I thought I had a photo of the butter cake which I must say was absolutely divine! As I said, my expectation of this "tea room" wasn't very high. BUT, my my, I was pleasantly surprised ... the food was of really really good quality! I'll say it again, the butter cake was beautiful! A MUST HAVE when you go there.

The owner of the place came to sit with us and brought more food for us to sample. Wow, we were so blessed. We listened to him talk passionately about his tea room. You can tell he really takes pride in what he does. He doesn't believe in using substandard ingredients so the butter cake (and all the other pastries) are made with only pure butter. No shortening, no margarine, nothing with trans-fat.

Will definitely go back again for the great experience. Hmm, or maybe not ... just for the sake that I can't afford the calories :( But ... if you're looking for a good English high tea - Victoria Rossa is the place to go!

Website: http://www.victoriarossa.co.uk/
Blog: http://victoriarossaenglishtearooms.blogspot.com/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=238163063457&v=wall

Best Fruit Cake, Sugee Cake and Murukku!

2010-07-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Now, how could I forget to promote the "business" of the person so close to home? My very own mother! A thousand apologies, Mee! My mother is a fantastic cook (okay, maybe I'm 0.01% biased) and can cook up a storm! Over the past years, she's been trying her hand at baking, and after experimenting, trying, tweaking recipes...she's got a couple of stellar winners! After much persuasion from family and friends, she finally took a step forward, dived in - and took orders. Good reviews so far! Here are her 3 best sellers:

MURUKKU
Maximum Spice Maximum Flavour.
Warning: Highly Addictive!
RM8 per bottle (minimum order: 3 bottles)

SUGEE CAKE
This traditional Eurasian recipe has been tried over and over again till the perfect combination of ingredients was achieved to create that heavenly first bite. Moist, fluffy, aromatic, full-bodied - reminiscent of festive celebrations! THIS is the real deal!
RM60 per cake

FRUIT CAKE
I've never liked fruit cake - ever. Till I tried my mum's. Exquisite. Fragrant, bursting with plump juicy raisins, and ~~laced~~ enhanced with top quality brandy. The end product...indescribable.
RM70 per cake

My mum lives in Penang, so this post benefits the Penangites most :) But people in the Klang Valley, don't feel left out .. Mum does have people doing deliveries to KL once in a while - so you can just try your luck :)

Notes:

Please allow

*5 days notice for sugee cake and murukku

*14 days notice for fruit cake as the fruits need to be soaked in brandy for at least 1 week

Self-collection on a cash upon delivery (COD) basis

For further information or enquiries, please send an email to Mag at magdaline(dot)loh(at)gmail.com

Malaysia Glaucoma Society

2010-07-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

I was in my church cafe the other day about to have my lunch. Scanned the surroundings and saw a couple seated already having their lunch. We've exchanged hellos along the way, but we've never exchanged more than 2 words to each other. So, I decided to sit with them.

I got to know how Stevens lost his eyesight. It was due to glaucoma. Read his story here or listen to his interview on BFM Kaye, his wife is a great caregiver - I've always noticed how patient and loving she is to her husband. We chatted at length about eyesight, as my dad suffers from retinitis pigmentosa and has about 1% of sight left. So I am quite involved and in the know of the life of one who is visually handicapped. It is not easy and I really admire them.

As a result of his own experience, Stevens founded the Malaysia Glaucoma Society so that early detection could be done to reduce unnecessary blindness. Do visit the website at http://www.saveonesight.com/

Babysitting & Daycare Services

2010-06-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who is setting up a babysitting and daycare centre. She says that the group will not be big so that she can give quality time and full attention to the children under her care. She's committed into giving her very best, and to take care of the kids as she would meticulously look after hers. If you're looking for someone reliable and trustworthy to look after your child, do visit Joanne's website at http://kidzhaven.webs.com/ and give her a call :)

Free Boracay Vacation Package

2010-06-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency

WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.

Vacation Package Inclusions:
- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel
- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines
- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila Domestic Airport
- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat
- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

Read More Information:http://www.seairphilippines.com

Cakes galore!

2010-06-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

This friend of mine started out baking a few years back as a hobby, and hooboy, I bet she has a string of loyal customers now! Her cakes not only taste good, but make great eye candy too! I love her London Cheesecake. It's simply heavenly! Her cupcakes are equally delicious!

Guess what this is?

My wedding cake!!! It was the bestest ever wedding cake in the whole wide universe! And ain't it a beaut?!

For enquiries, please email eejuen (at) yahoo (dot) com :)

Do check out her blog at http://ribbonsandcakes.blogspot.com/

Macau Coffee Shop

2010-06-14T05:43:00.001-07:00

Much as we would prefer to eat home most of the times, we still can't coz our kitchen is not set up yet. So, we're thankful for new eateries that have been sprouting around our neighbourhood. There's a new coffee shop in the Medan Putra Business Centre area...this place is really booming! I had the fresh milk fish noodles. It was really good, but, as with after effects of eating out - super thirsty! Nice, nevertheless. The oh-chien looked nice, but unforunately we did not try it. Quite a variety of food there and it's air-conditioned! Even the toilet area! Beat that! I'm sure the Macau Coffee Shop will do well - it's heaps better than the 8 Parkcity coffee shop down the road!

Holiday Home Malaysia

2010-06-11T01:35:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a holiday home while visiting the Klang Valley, look no further! Here's a perfect spot for you and your loved ones to enjoy a clean and comfortable condominium. I can vouch that you will have a pleasant stay here. Please visit the website at http://www.holidayhomemalaysia.com/. Look out for promotions on their blog http://holidayhomemalaysia.blogspot.com/

Niji Sushi

2010-06-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

It seems like the last few posts are on food! We just so happened to have tried more food places in Medan Putra, Kepong.

We visited Niji Sushi once before and I didn't think too much about it. However, after having read good reviews about it, thought we'd give it another chance!

Sushi! I had tuna and salmon. Surprisingly, in the slice of tuna provided in the roll was quite thick. Well-bodied enough to be able to taste it. Ok. Impressive for RM4.50 per roll. The salmon was fresh and so was the seaweed wrapping the handroll.

CS had the fish set. It was REALLY good. I'm not a fan of chawan mushi, but the taste of this one was nice as well...not too egg-y, not too thick, not too watery, the texture was just right. The portion of rice served could be a bit bigger though.

We're pleased that we went back :) A good joint to have in the neighbourhood.

Niji Sushi

No. 25 & 27 Jln 1/62D

Medan Putra Business Center, Kepong

Tel: 03-62777060

Live Music Restaurant

2010-06-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Kepong is touted to be a place with good food.

From the outside, the Live Music restaurant looks like a pub. The facade and signage does not look very attractive nor inviting. However, one day, as CS and I were walking by, we decided to look at the menu, and try the food there. To our surprise, the food wasn't bad at all! And the price, reasonable! I ever only eat one thing there, the Portugese Mee Goreng. Very nice. This time, I decided to try something else. It was okay.

Cantonese Koay Teow

CS' standard order, the jumbo hotdog with cheese. He craves for it sometimes!

The inside of the restaurant, which incidentally has "live music" on Friday and Saturday evenings from 9pm onwards.

See the price...not bad at all right? The address is on the receipt :) It's just next to De Pastry Chef cafe in Medan Putra, Kepong :)

Winner!

2010-06-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

(Photo credit: http://decohouz.com)

I won a contest!!! I hardly ever enter contests coz I don't believe that my entry will ever be good enough to compete with the gazillion other people who submit their entries! Whaddya know...

I received a mailer from http://homepride.com.my/ promoting their latest magazine. Came across a contest that was going on. One could stand to win RM120 worth of decals. Was bored. Thought I'd give it a shot. Took 4 minutes to answer the questions and hit "submit". Never thought about it anymore after that. When one fine day, I get an email with the subject heading - Decohouz Promotion Winner

From: Ask Homepride <ask.homepride@catchacorp.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 11:16 AM
Subject: Decohouz Promotion Winner
To: Shelley Tay
Cc: sales@decohouz.com

Hi Shelley,

Congratulations on winning first prize with RM120 worth of product available at Decohouz.com!

Please confirm your full name, IC, contact number and address. Do respond as soon as possible else we will give it to the next deserving participant by tomorrow.

Name: Shelley Tay Peik Lin
IC: 7xxxxxxxxx
Contact number: 01x-xxxxxx
Address: x-1 xxxxx Kuala Lumpur, WP.

Once we receive your confirmation then only you are entitle to choose your RM120 worth of prize available at Decohouz.com. Winners are advise to claim
their prizes within 7 days as Sharon will be away from 9th to 15th June 2010. Postage fee will be sponsored by Decohouz.com.

Do contact Sharon, the owner of Decohouz.com for more information.

Name: Sharon
Email: sales@decohouz.com

Have a nice day.

Cheers,
Yxx
Online Content Manager
Catcha Home Publications Sdn Bhd

ELATED!!! Not so much about the products won, but to actually WIN! Woohoo!
Today, Homepride sent me an emailer again, this time I browse through and find my name in their winner list.
Pardon the indulgent narcissistic me - just for today. Promise! There's just something about winning, it's exhilarating!

Thank you HomePride and Decohouz!

Perfect Lighting

2010-06-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

CS found this light shop in Damansara Uptown. It's at the other end of AmBank/CIMB (facing the LDP). He was thoroughly impressed with the owner who patiently explained to him everything he wanted to find out about anything in their shop. The variety of lights is so-so. Wall fans and fans were cheaper than most places we saw from other places. If you are looking for bulbs, fans, lights...you can give this place a try. Ask for Michelle and ask away!

I-Precious Collections

2010-06-01T04:15:00.000-07:00

My friend, Lydia Yong owns her very own business - providing premium gifts. Check out her website for further information http://www.i-precious.biz/. I've visited her office numeral times, there's quite a nice showcase of paraphernalia to choose from. Lydia is one girl who is sincere, warm, gutsy and responsible! Do give her a call at 012-617-1155 or email Lydia@i-precious.biz to source for premium gifts!

Ecogreen Cafe, Taman Tun Dr Ismail

2010-05-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

CS took me to this place a few weeks back. His company had had events there previously and he said the food was quite good (though pricey). The Ecogreen Cafe is located at the Bakti building in Taman Tun (http://ecogreen.com.my/outlets/ecogreen-organic-restaurant-bakti/). Quiet and serene. I was so excited to see the No MSG, No transfat, No this and No that sign. I love (though not necessarily can afford) organic food!

CS had the Oat Curry Chicken with rice

I wanted to be adventurous and the picture of the lui cha on the poster looked so good. Never tried lui cha before, so thought it might a be a good place to start :) It didn't look much, but after going through half of it, I was full! What's more, my jaw was tired of all that chewing. The stuff put in was really healthy! It's an acquired taste with the mint and basil paste though. But I enjoyed it nevertheless. Next time, 2 people can share this :)

Tubing Cutter

2010-05-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Look what CS found - a tubing cutter! What in the world is a tubing cutter, I hear you ask?

If you're like us...always having to rely on contractors to cut our curtain rods...you'll love this. It's a simple DIY tool that can cut tubes (duh!)

Just slide the rod in between the cutter. Tighten the jaw by screwing it down, then twist twist twist.

Voila, your tube is cut!

Note to self: Either this is a fantastic find or we (read CS) are just suckers for cool-looking gizmos!

After Renovation Cleaning

2010-05-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

CS and I had constantly been cleaning up after the contractors. It all seemed a bit redundant - to clean and then to have another contractor come to dirty it up. O'well. We kept on at it anyway *clean* *clean* *clean*

After all the contractors were finally done. We looked at the place - all 960 sf of it, and decided that...

w.e.d.i.d.n.o.t.w.a.n.t.t.o.c.l.e.a.n.a.n.y.m.o.r.e

We decided that we'd give ourselves a treat and hire professional cleaners who did "post renovation cleaning". I suddenly remembered a friend of ours had a cleaning service company and used to provide these house cleaning services. I'd seen his blog before.

Found it.

Oh! Precisely what we were looking for!!! This is what I'm talking about. Since everything was new in the unit, we wanted to make sure the cleaners we hired were of good calibre.

I proceeded to call Oliver of Vision Mission Cleaning. (Incidentally, Oliver is a fellow DUMC-ian ;)) He came back with a date which we agreed with. We then waited excitedly for the unit to be cleaned so that we could move in!

The day finally arrived. They reached our place at about 1.45pm. Oliver himself with 4 ladies. Dressed neatly in their uniforms. Oliver instructed them what to do and off they went. Throughout the 5 hours there were there, their attitude was exemplary. Courteous, polite, smiling, responsive to anything we told them. At the end Oliver asked us to check thoroughly to see if we were happy with everything. If not, let him know so that they can rectify. Top-notch-world-class service! We were SO happy with their work!

Here're some pictures to show :)

Before

After

Before

After

This is the 17th floor mind you!

Cleaning more windows

Cleaning the wall tiles

Cleaning the lights

They mopped the floors 4 times! When they left, it was so squeaky clean. CS and I looked at each other in disbelief - to be able to walk in the unit barefeet!!! We were estatic!!!

Here's his contact. You can mention that you got his number from Shelley :)

He does say on his website though, that they "ain't hourly maids. They are professional"
This will give you a heads up with regards to their fees - as to what you should not expect.

Oliver Ho

Mobile: +6012 376 5497

http://visionmissioncleaning.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Oliver &; team for the G-R-E-A-T and W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L gift! *wink*

Borrowing money from banks at zero interest rate?

2010-05-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

Got this article from http://www.iproperty.com.my - written by Milan Doshi. Food for thought.

Effect of Inflation on Bank Loans

Borrowing money from banks at zero interest rate? Milan Doshi shows you how Posted Date: May 14, 2010
By: Milan Doshi

Effect of Inflation on Bank Loans

Borrowing money from banks at zero interest rate? Milan Doshi shows you how
If you were to ask any person from our parents’ generation, the common advice they would give is:

Don’t borrow any money

and

If you really need to borrow, borrow as little as possible and return it back as soon as possible

Their reasoning is that having a peaceful sleep at night is extremely important. If you were to owe anyone any money, there is this deep-rooted fear that someone might knock on your front door in the middle of the night demanding that they be repaid on the spot.
I am not too sure but perhaps it could partially be due to movies. In many movies, there are scenes where the greedy landlord and his henchmen come knocking on the poor farmer’s door demanding that they be repaid on the spot. When the poor farmer is unable to do so, the landlord then forcefully takes over what few possessions the farmer has and kicks the poor farmer and his family out of the house.
There is no way we can fully appreciate what our parents might have gone through in their generation which shaped their beliefs. Many of them would have lived through the Second World War, the OPEC oil crisis, racial riots, etc. In those days, being able to have 3 decent meals a day was a luxury, something that we today take for granted.
Leveraging on bank borrowings
As a result of this misplaced fear, many of our parents have completely missed out on the power of leverage by using bank borrowings for property investments. In fact, I recall the day my father bought a double-storey house in Singapore in 1973 for S$120,000 which was a big sum in those days. He had taken a 25-year loan and one of his life’s goal was to look forward to the day the property loan is fully settled and the house finally becomes his. The loan was finally settled in 1998 and my father sold off the house for around S$1 million a few years later and moved into a condominium as both my parents had trouble climbing stairs.
Another reason why their generation didn’t like to take up big bank loans for property purchases is that the amount that has to be repaid back over long periods is close to double the original loan amount. They prefer to work hard, save money for a few years and then take a small loan to save on bank interest costs. Unfortunately, their well-meaning advice given while we are growing up makes many people afraid to take on big loans. Hopefully, this article changes your perspective on this issue.
Are bank loans making you poorer?
Let’s take the example of a loan for RM1 million at a fixed interest rate of 5% per annum for 25 years. The yearly installment works out to RM70,952 per year or RM5,913 per month. Multiply by 25 years and the amount works out to a staggering RM1,773,800! Imagine borrowing RM1 million but having to pay RM1.773 million back i.e. the principal amount of RM1 million plus interest costs of RM773,800. As a result, many people would rather avoid borrowing money and hence miss out on property investments. Their logic would be “Why take unnecessary risks to make the banks richer and yourself poorer”?
Unfortunately, these people are looking at things from the wrong angle. They don’t realize that the money returned back while in absolute terms is totalling RM1.773 million, its value after taking inflation into account is completely different. You are not paying RM1.773 million today, but RM70,952 per year spread over the next 25 years. The purchasing power of RM70,952 today and its value 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years is vastly different.
For readers who are not mathematically-inclined, let me first explain the effects of inflation in an easy manner. Let’s assume RM1,000 today can buy you 1,000 lollipops. If inflation is running at 4% per annum, the value of
                                                    1,000 lollipops
RM1,000 one year from now = -----------------------
                                                      1 + Inflation Rate
                                                  1,000 lollipops
                                              = ------------------------
                                                      1 + 4% (or 1.04)
                                              = 961.5 lollipops
Hence RM1,000 one year from now can only purchase 961.5 lollipops. Therefore, the value of RM1,000 one year later is the equivalent of RM961.5 in today’s value if inflation is 4% per annum.
                                                     Value of RM1,000 one year from now
RM1,000 two years from now = -----------------------------------------------
                                                                      1 + Inflation Rate
                                                         961.5 lollipops
                                                = -------------------------
                                                        1 + 4% (or 1.04)
                                                                    1,000 lollipops
                                              or   ------------------------------------
                                                        (1 + Inflation Rate)2 or 1.042
                                              = 924.5 lollipops
Therefore, RM1,000 two years later is only worth RM924.5 in today’s ringgit.
The formula to compute the Present Value of Future Dollars is:
                                                                                    Future Amount
Present Value of Amount nth years from now = ----------------------------
                                                                                (1 + Inflation Rate)n
Let’s compute the Future Value of RM70,952 per year over the next 25 years assuming the inflation is 4% per annum:
Year                Amount (RM) in Present Value
   1                   70,952 / (1 + 4%)1 = 68,223
   2                   70,952 / (1 + 4%)2 = 65,600
   3                   70,952 / (1 + 4%)3 = 63,077
Calculate until Year 25 and add up all the various Present Values gives the answer of RM1,108,425. What this means is that while we will be paying in absolute terms a total of RM1.773 million, the actual value after inflation at 4% per annum is only RM1.108 million. Suddenly borrowing money doesn’t look so scary.
In fact, it will start to make even more sense. Study the table below for the Present Value of a loan of RM1 million for 25 years at interest rates of 4% and 5% for various inflation rates:

Notice that if your bank interest rate is 4% (or 5%) and your inflation rate is 4% (or 5%), the Present Value of the Total Installment paid over 25 years will be equal to your bank loan of RM1 million. The bank interest cost and inflation cancels each other out. It’s equivalent to borrowing money at zero interest rate!
Inflation cancels out bank interest cost
If your personal inflation rate is above the bank interest rate, you actually end up paying less back. For example, if the bank interest rate is 4% (which is the current rate of BLR – 1.8% for residential properties) and your inflation is 5%, you actually end up paying back RM902,181 for a loan of RM1 million. Unbelievable, but it’s true.
Malaysia’s official inflation rate is around 3% per annum. Unfortunately this is not what most of us experience on an annual basis especially in recent years. Most families’ inflation rate will hover between 5% – 10% per annum depending on the parents’ (around 4-6% pa) and their children’s (around 6-10% pa) lifestyles. The inflation rate for children is usually higher than their parents due to their different consumption pattern and spending habits. This higher inflation rate actually works in your favor as the bank interest cost is only 4% per annum (i.e. BLR – 1.8%), far below your family’s average inflation rate.
In property investments, inflation not only works by pushing up asset values. It also reduces your borrowing costs when inflation is taken into account! This is another powerful reason why you must invest in good investment properties and borrow as much as possible provided the yields are higher than your borrowing costs. Then sit back, relax and let inflation work its magic on both sides of your Net Worth.

If you have any comments on this article or questions, please email to me at http://achievers88@yahoo.com. I would highly recommend that you sign up at our moderated getrichbook egroups at:

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/getrichbook/

It's free for all my book readers and readers of this article. Only relevant emails pertaining to finance, property and stock investments will be approved for broadcast.

Article Contributed by
Milan Doshi
Financial Trainer and Best Selling Author of
“How You Can Become a Multi-Millionaire Real Estate Investor!”
For more information, visit www.milandoshi.com

Sponge Brush

2010-05-09T02:14:00.000-07:00

The internet just has so many resources! I am indeed a googaholic! I was searching for a video on how to patch holes in the wall (or something like that), and while I was watching it, I saw the guy using a "sponge brush". I haven't really seen one before. But I thought it might intrigue the husband. I sent him the link. Whaddya know, that very evening, we were owners of a sponge brush - TWO to be exact! We got them from Home-Fix at the Waterfront, Desa Parkcity. I don't think you would be able to get this at your resident chinese hardware shop ... I think they'd scoff at it ... "What? Why do you need this? Just take a paintbrush or sponge-lah!"

The 3 different sizes available at Home-Fix

The 3 different prices for the 3 different sizes :)

CS loved it! He managed to use it to paint perfect-straight-line borders between the coloured wall and the white wall. Very suitable for melancholic personalities! :)

Drill Dust Collector

2010-05-06T01:15:00.000-07:00

I came across this wonderful inexpensive gadget the other day! No, I don't do the drilling, CS does - and a wonderful job he does. The other day in the office, a few workers came to add on plug points. Oh boy, what a mess they made. My colleague and I got talking and she says that her FIL never lets contractors drill without using a drill pouch. "What's that?" I asked. She briefly told me but couldn't tell me much more. I then referred to the wonderful world of google to find out what it was.

Oh wow!!! What a find!!!

CS had been drilling our walls to put up curtain rods, and there was just one more wall to do. I forwarded this to him and that evening itself, he did this in 30 seconds (tops!) and we used this. All I can say is...

Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!

No more messiness when drilling! We won't ever need to fear drilling over clean stuff anymore. This little drill dust collector works like magic!

Try it!!!

Here's how it looks like

And THIS is where the dust rightfully goes to! View the tutorial below to get a better idea!

Yi Yan Porridge Restaurant

2010-05-04T00:23:00.000-07:00

We saw a cafe close down recently near our home. In its place, Restoran Yi Yan took over the shop lot. It sells porridge mainly, but there is also pan mee available. It's located at Jalan Medan Putra 1, Kepong.

It was our 3rd wedding anniversary that night and we ended up at this place. Not exactly the best place to celebrate an anniversary but it had to be here, because I was not well and had to eat porridge! Hrmph.

The porridge was quite palatable. The meat came in chunks. I would have preferred it more mince-y though. On a whole, a good shop to have in the neighbourhood ... for sick people who need "sick food" like porridge, or for those who like porridge :)

Yip Kee Rice & Noodle House

2010-04-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

This restaurant is located in Jalan Medan Putra 3, Kepong. We first tried it out when we moved nearby. It serves a pretty decent wan tan mee. CS prefers this one while I prefer another stall at Menjalara which I reckon have the best soup sui gows ever! :)

This is Yip Kee. The owners are always nice and welcoming :)

We never fail to order some fried sui gow's - crunchy and nice :)

This is the standard charsiew wantan noodles. They have other variations like curry chicken and beef brisket.

"Loi Soke" the Iron Man

2010-04-28T23:30:00.000-07:00

How do you look for a good grill contractor? Go look at the grill gate of every unit of every floor! Erm. Yes, that's what we did. But I definitely wouldn't recommend it :p CS came up with a great grill design with great safety features and great practicality. Next, was to get a contractor who could do a great job with great finishing. We found such a person in "Loi Soke" who did one of our neighbours' grill gate :)

The pieces were brought and assembled outside the corridor of our unit

Fitted in

And voila, we have ourselves a new grill door!

"Loi Soke" did the heavy duty jobs like welding and the fitting in. He then left it to his younger worker (an apprentice perhaps?) to do the finishing touches on the hinges. The younger worker was very good and detailed in sealing off the hinges and adding the finishing touches of paint to the grill. Overall, we were very happy with their work! Good quality.

Here's the contact :)

Kim Lai Iron Works

"Loi Soke" (Uncle Loi)'s contact number 019-2612620

Again, you can say that you got his number from Lee of Menjalara :)

Sim the electrician

2010-04-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Since we've been busy with doing minor renovations to our new place, the next few posts, I imagine, would be about contractors :) CS found this electrician by chance (is there such a thing like "chance" anyway?) when he went to a light shop. There was a business card in that shop which CS took and thereafter rang this guy "Sim". Sim turned out to be a very nice guy. Gentle, conscientious, neat and tidy.

Here are a couple of photos of what he did.

Clean lines

He also patched back the holes and sanded the wall after he was done.

The best part of it (for me) ... he always sweeps up the debris, collects whatever wire bits and stacks his things neatly away in a corner after he is done for the day :)

Out of all the people who came to do stuff for us, he ranks tops!

Here's his number if you are looking for an electrician to give you a quote: 017-351-8551. You can say you got his number from Lee of Menjalara. (No, we don't get referral fees ;))

A budding moment!

2010-04-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

I always believe in sharing good and reliable contacts. Every now and again, our pipes need unclogging, bulbs need changing, gardens need sprucing, nails need manicuring, tummies need feeding, teeth need cleaning, internal systems need detoxing, legal issues need sorting, tenants need evicting (No! God forbid. Sorry, got carried away)... You get my drift.

Each time my hubby (CS) and I required some form of service, we'd have to go through the same process of asking around for reliable and credible contacts, googling for forums and reviews on the internet. Golly. It HAS been tiring.

Thankfully, out of the so many people we've come across, we've managed to cross paths with a few sparkling individuals who have provided outstanding service! This is not to say we've not encountered service providers who caused great stress and make us want to cry and pull our hair out!

When we've come across these gems of people, I almost immediately want to shout out on the mountain top to tell the whole world of the excellent service so-and-so has done. I want to spare the "searchers" (of service providers) the pain of having to go through things first hand all over again. Wouldn't it be so much better to share contacts based on recommendations? Wouldn't it?!

The question then, was avenue. Ad-hoc queries and seeking for recommendations shared on Facebook posts are good for a couple of times, but what about something less spontaneous and more intentionally pooled together? This is what I've always dreamed of!

Believe it or not, in the midst of a forced afternoon nap (hot weather triggers migraine attacks!) last week , I had an idea that I would start a blog! I'd tell people of the nice plumber that was working on our unit right at that very moment, I'd tell people of the great dentist that we frequent, I'd tell people of the wonderful lighting shop that we'd gone to, I'd tell people of the nice restaurant that we visited...and more!

My mind went into overdrive - extremely excited to go on the internet and start immediately! But, one problem though. Everything was all muddled up - it wasn't very clear what the theme of my blog would be.

* Backtrack to a couple of days before this* and THIS is the heart of how this blog was created.

We currently stay in an apartment with office lots downstairs. The development is only a year old so occupancy rate is very low. For a while, none of the office lots were taken up - till a few weeks ago. I noticed renovation works being done to a corner lot. It was going to be a nail parlour! I felt excited for the business owner - the anticipation of seeing the place transform from four white walls, to a place where she would see her business flourish with the throng of customers who would visit the nail parlour to make pretty. I'm sure that is the dream of every business owner - to see his/her business bustling with a hive of activity!

After a few weeks, the parlour was all ready for business! I would glance through the glass doors every other day as I walked by. It seemed like the business had been sluggish since its opening. Just last Saturday night, as CS and I were walking pass, I suddenly paused in my steps and turned around to face the nail parlour. I drank in the moment and thereafter shared with CS, "People like these have put their heart and soul (and money!) into realising their dream of opening up a business. It's unfortunate that the location is not very prominent. I wish I could do something to help them spread the awareness of their new business. I reaaaalllly hope they won't have to fold up one day due to the lack of business." We've seen some in our neighbourhood having to go through that, and I've always felt for them. CS felt exactly the same as I did.

It was a couple of hours later that I figured out what the theme of this blog might be.

Eureka!

"Just Shelley...
...lending a hand to help small-time (and perhaps not so small!) business owners gain some web presence. They've taken the risk, put their best foot forward, and they most definitely deserve some publicity!"