Month: January 2019

ZUMBA is a fun, high-intensity and high-energy workout. Here are some tips for an awesome Zumba class……..

1. Arrive on time : In fact, arrive a few minutes early and secure your spot. There is nothing worse than a straggler who pushes her way into the spot she wants 10 minutes after class has started.

2. Respect the space of others :- We move around a lot. A LOT. Don’t stand so close to someone else that they run the risk of smacking you accidentally on purpose as a warning. Or asking you to move or giving you nasty “let’s fight” looks. Not that I have done any of these

3. Know your place:- Okay, that sounds rude. But if you’re new or can’t follow routines, please don’t stand in the front row. Your unfamiliarity with what the instructor is doing, or possess an inability to pick up moves quickly (like me), is distracting. You can move up front as you become more familiar with the routines (Note: quality of dancing is irrelevant. You can be a terrible dancer but still know the moves. In other words, me!)

4. Keep moving:- We all screw up. Even the instructors. But when you screw up and just STOP, you throw everyone around you off and you might cause someone to fall or get hurt, particularly if they bump into you. And If you don’t like a song and don’t want to dance to it, step off to the side. Take a break. Don’t just stand there.

5. Wear deodorant:- It makes me sad I had to write that…..

6. Don’t be a space stealer:- If someone leaves in the middle of song or to get a drink, don’t sneak into her spot. More than likely, she will return. Taking a break is not permission to sneak into someone’s spot. If you wanted a better spot, refer to rule #1

7. Prepare to sweat :- I don’t care if you’re in the best shape ever, this is awesome load of fast paced cardio. It’s seriously tensed and you will sweat. Don’t complain about it. We’re all sweating because we’re suppose to. SO bring a towel and suck it up!

8. Don’t gawk or make fun of other class-mates:- This is just a common courtesy in any part of life. Sure, some of us in the corner may move funny, but everyone has their own Zumba style: respect each other!

9. Don’t be afraid to make some noise:- I have the most fun in class when everyone lets loose and shouts and hollas. It adds energy to the class and keeps everyone pumped. I love it!

10. Be friendly to other classmates:- Welcome new students, get to know each other and lend a helping hand. This creates a friendly environment where fun fitness can thrive.

Follow these rules and you will be an A student. Nothing worse than going to a class and having an irritating person with poor Zumba class etiquette ruin your experience. So please don’t be that person okay…

In the months between then and the BTS concert last weekend, 19 January 2019 in Singapore, I learned a lot about the members of BTS- RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and JungKook- as well as their journey to this level of fame, their passion for the music they make and their authentic appreciation for their fans. Their genuineness, dorkiness and meaningful lyrics made me feel honoured to support them by attending to one of their concerts with my daughter Amisha, aged 14 (Die hard No-1 ARMY) So she claims….

As soon as we arrived the Singapore Indoor Stadium, TONS of girls and guys were wearing BTS Merch and I literally freaked out because I saw so many ARMY there. Everywhere I turned there were girls talking about BTS or buying ARMY Bombs and merch. There were some who were singing as loudly as possible to BTS songs. The feeling was just amazing, no words to really describe it!

Few days before the concert, the event organiser released rules & regulations (10 pages) and informed that the standing ticket holders were suppose to start queueing from 12.30pm onwards. First, we were queueing outside the indoor stadium from 11.00am, then at 12.40pm we were allowed to enter the Indoor stadium and then we waited some more until 3.30pm without proper food only sips of water. We patiently waited from 11.00am (8 hours) before the concert, which was actually quite tiring but fun because we made an awesome group of friends to camp out with! It went by quicker than you’d think and honestly, making ARMY friends just adds to the whole experience. At about 4pm, we were then ushered to the National Stadium and had to wait and queue outside.

Once we finally got inside the National Stadium, we ran to be in front but the crowd was already there. The organisers promised that we will be allocated at the standing pen according to our tickets numbers, however, that was untrue! ARMY were pushing and shoving to get to the front. That was a horror! We had to stand from 4.30pm until show time. Everything was doing great while we waited, everyone was buzzing and singing along to the music videos being played on the big screens.

However once it got near show time, ARMY started pushing and shoving us out our spots. There were no proper ventilation, it was humid, no food and water from 11.00am. Many Armies, fainted and collapsed. Medics and First Aid took forever to arrive. It was genuinely devastating because it happened so quickly and there was nowhere to go, so for the rest of the concert, so much of our views were obstructed. The pit is truly not for the faint of heart, and it was so hot and painful being constantly shoved from both sides that I literally missed parts of the concert.

Another downside is that the crowd all around me were too focused on getting videos. On the bright side, it was absolutely unreal seeing BTS so close-up. They basically look like the best photos of themselves. It still felt fake to Amisha though, she just couldn’t believe that it was really them in front of her. They didn’t really interact with the center people as much as I thought they would which was a little disappointing but you can’t blame them when there’s so many people that want their attention……

The boys glow. I don’t know how else to put it. They are absolutely beautiful on the outside but their stage presence, charisma and kindness is so evident and unreal. It felt amazing to do the fanchant and sing along to their songs. Even before the concert, they played music videos on the screens and everyone sang and fanchanted along. If I’m being completely honest, I was expecting to feel overwhelmed by crazy fans around me, including my 14 year old daughter, Amisha, but everyone was very respectful. I was also worried about not being able to sing songs in perfect Korean and possibly getting interrogated by ARMY’s who have known Bangtan longer. But I had no reason to worry and it was an amazing experience.

Seeing them in person made me realize even more how radiant and talented they are but it also reminded me that they are human. Let me repeat. THEY. ARE.HUMAN!

V- This man is flawless. His visuals are just crazy and his voice is absolutely mesmerizing. Singularity was amazing. Everything about it was so captivating, with V’s voice and the dancers holding the white masks behind him.

Jimin seemed a bit melancholy. Dancing the choreography and singing is so difficult to do. Jimin nailed it, but he did seem insecure. I hope he knows how well he did. (Eventhough, he fell on stage) Honestly, Jimin doesn’t give off the cute mochi vibes much when performing. He’s much more serious and focused on every minor detail. That attention to detail is what makes his dancing so emotional and unforgettable. He has passion beyond his years.

Jungkook slayed. I personally thinks he is the best singer, in terms of techniques and stability on and off the stage. His voice gave me the chills on euphoria especially. I couldn’t help but think to myself, “this boy was born for this”. His smile is even cuter in person and it lights up the stage!

Jin stole the show. The man’s vocals are incredible , especially on epiphany. And I loved how he played the piano at the beginning! I just can’t believe that he didn’t sing or have much music experience before BTS. He has worked so hard to get to where he’s at and anyone who says he doesn’t belong to BTS doesn’t know what they are talking about. He performs with so much heart and he filled the stadium with joy and the entire night through his singing, smile and goofiness. It’s obvious that he doesn’t take his position for granted.

Suga– Seriously, how does he rap and dance at the same time? It’s insane. He sounded great while doing difficult choreography and it was so mind blowing to see him do all that at once. This man so confident. I love it. He raps perfectly and his rage presence is powerful yet funny. He asked nothing but the best from us and gave nothing but the best to us. This man is an icon!

J-Hope’s energy was fire. It was insane. I don’t even know how he raps and dances so incredibly without showing a glimpse of fatigue. He is literal sunshine, always smiling and enjoying performing.

RM is the leader for a reason. He speaks with such confidence and humility. When performing, he seems so focused on the words. What I mean is, he’s not just rapping to entertain. He’s rapping because he has something to say. Also, his visuals are even more stunning in person than I expected. He holds himself in a way that people can’t help but respect!

Seeing Bangtan Boys will change your perspective of them. In an amazing way. Like I said, I have much more empathy for them.

I’m taking it as a lesson for what to fix the next time BTS comes around:-

1. If you’re planning to buy the ‘standing’ tickets, prepare to camp out, you will be treated like an “ARMY”- literally.
2. Don’t go near the very center of the extended stage
3. Don’t let people push you around
4. Water, water, water- Try to stay hydrated.

If the stage floor height is high, don’t even try standing right by the stage, unless you prefer having the chance to those brief moments where they go right by you and you see them in all their HD glory, then back to the usual I-can -maybe-see-their-head.

Away from the crowd guarantees a better viewing angle. Maybe you’ll see the whole concert with almost the same view as front row seated. Wear your tallest footwear, or buy the tallest to you can wear.

If you’re sure the stage floor is lower than your eye level. Line up really early to be front and centre, hydrate yourself but not to the point you’d need to pee during the concert, cling to friend, mum or your neighbour for dear life, practice breathing control in a swimming pool beforehand for the compressed environment , also maybe start lifting to strengthen your arms for the push/pull battle. Most importantly don’t let your ribs get squeezed to the point of fainting, and wear light and comfy clothes because it will get hot and sweaty.

My favourite part of the concert was when they were waving at us at the end. Before the encore songs, the boys said a few last words to the crowd, mostly practicing their English skills while a few others allowed the translator to give them a hand. They had already said their thank yous and goodbyes, but they stayed on stage for so long afterwards, just smiling and waving at us. ARMY were all emotional including my girl, Amisha because they didn’t run off the stage quickly. No, they lingered as long as they could to show that they love us. ARMY Felt so connected to them in that moment. It was the most beautiful moment in life for ARMY in Singapore!

If you ever get the chance to go, don’t worry if your seats are far from stage or if you don’t have all the crazy merch. You will still have an amazing , magical time, just like we did!

Thank you Kim Namjoon (RM), Kim SeokJin (Jin), Min Yoongi (Suga), Jung HoSeok (J-Hope), Park Jimin (Jimin), Kim TaehYung (V) and Jeon JungKook (Jung Kook). You are truly appreciated by those who matter. Love yourselves, like you help us to do.

If you are looking for a romantic and private setting I guarantee this is it. For an over the top experience the Chef also offers a surprise degustation with a few of his best dishes ever created. I call it esoteric because their dishes are some of the most creative I have tried in Seremban and perfectly reflect the dancing font they use in their branding. This restaurant adds an element of flashy and loud surprise. It is perhaps its location, in Sri Sendayan, D’ Tempat with the view over the pool. The cocktails are inventive and the recipes fascinating, even if at times they can be a bit of a hit and miss.

Chicken Nachos

Chicken and Nachos, now that’s a combination that cannot be beat!

Meet your ideal nacho construction plan. Dividing everything between two baking sheets solves problems and creates party opportunities. You’ll get the ideal ratio of ingredients layered in each dish. Chicken Nachos are great for feeding a crowd! This Chicken Nachos dish is just AMAZING! These easy sheet pan nachos are so delicious, and perfect for any occasion.

 Chicken Burger

Let’s just take a moment to look at this burger. Really look at it. Yep, that chicken is ridiculously crispy.. And yup, you guessed it, that’s mozzarella just slowly melting it’s way down. Is it ridiculously big? You betcha. Is it flipping delicious? Right again! Do you need to make it this weekend? Abso-bloody-lutely.

Look, I’ll be straight with you. This burger is obnoxiously big. But, if it makes you feel better it’s technically only one chicken breast per burger as we’ve halved the breasts to make two “patties”. So please feel free to only use one if you want but what should be the main focus here is the combination of flavours. And nothing pairs better with a burger than a side of fries. Crispy, chili-roasted sweet potato fries add a delicious zing to this flavor-filled meal.

The Egyptian Sausage with Orzo Soup

So here is my new republished EgyptianSausage and Orzo Soup- now including Canellini beans and even more veggies! This soup contains sausages, so of course it is hearty, rich, and delicious! It’s packed full of fiber from the beans, whole grain pasta, spinach, carrots, and tomatoes. Something you can definitely feel good about. (And will keep your stomach feeling full a lot longer!) It was just as tasty and satisfying

Mazzalika

You might not appreciate the salty taste of anchovies, but maybe you haven’t had Mazzalika’s fantastic anchovies with french fries. Chef Sam has dedicated centuries to preparing the best anchovies on the market, and the taste speaks for itself. Did you know that where anchovies come from effects how they look and taste? They are all the same fish, just changed by the water they live in.

The backbone of flavor comes from a pungent mix of anchovies, garlic, chile flakes, french fries and capers, which gives Mazzalika more than enough character for a satisfying lunch or dinner. Kale (or onions, spinach or other greens) bulks out the aromatics, adding a fresh, earthy flavor and enough vegetable content to turn it into a one-dish meal…..

Roasted Lamb Rack with Harrisa and Herbs Pistachio Crust

If you like lamb, this Roast Lamb with a selection of aromatic herbs, garlic, and spices to really enhance the flavor of the meat. The Roasted rack of lamb is a brilliant center piece dish because it’s impressive and surprisingly tender! Succulent lamb roasted in rosemary with Harrisa and Herbs Pistachio Crush, mashed potato, caramelised onion… Lamb is in season so why not make the most of it?

Fish Du Jour

If a pan-seared Mahi-mahi fish sounds enticing, you’ll love this dish Fish Du Juor. And if you’re just feeling indecisive, The Fish Du Jour work wonderfully with any of your favorite varieties of fish! Simply seasoned fish Mahi-mahi are pan-seared to perfection and topped off with an amazing, sweet pumpkin puree, shallot and sautéed with wild mushroom and Pineapple Salsa. This salsa is the crowning jewel on these delicious dish!

The Nutella Pizza

Any way you slice it (or fold it, roll it, or if you really wanna get fancy, dish it) pizza, the ultimate order at Jigger and shaker!

Forget about a box of chocolates. Really impress your loved one with this Valentine’s Day, The Nutella Pizza and is a delectable mix of chocolate, choco cookies, and Nutella spread and fudge sauce on a thin crusty pizza. Served hot with chocolate melting in the mouth, this one is a treat! The ingredients used are a find blend of flavours that burst into your mouth in a bite!

The pizza is served like a messy collision of chocolate delight put up on the thin crust, a bit tough to pick the slices up! Although that is another mesmerizing experience for chocolate lovers!

The Fries Pizza

Surprise and delight your loved ones with a delectable serving of The Fries Pizza. Waffle fries are topped with premade pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni for a taste like no other. The Pizza Fries brings together two of the favorite taste combos, pizza and French fries!  French fries are topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni in this recipe for loaded pizza fries perfect as a fun appetizer.

Cocktails and Beverages

A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink, which is either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits along with other ingredients such as fruit juice, lemonade, …Whether it’s for your guests or yourself, it’s always a good idea to add a fun and refreshing cocktail into the mix. To add a sparkle to your lunch or dinner Jigger and Shaker gives you wide selection of refreshing and sophisticated cocktail such as Mollie-cious Cocktail, Manila Mule Cocktail, Berry and Basil Gin & Tonic, Lucky Martini Cocktail and Smokey Ganju.

Add a sparkle to your lunch or dinner with a selection of refreshing and sophisticated cocktail ideas……

In conjuction of their 1st year anniversary and Valentine’s Day, Jigger & Shaker has cooked up something fabulous! The day is fast approaching soon, ladies and gentlemen, and they’re super duper stoked to celebrate their 1st year anniversary and the joyful month of eternal love! What is a better way to commemorate this special day than through the tummy? A lot of sexy time, perhaps. But nothing can beat a delicious, romantic dining experience with your bae. Early reservations are encouraged. PM on Facebook or wassapp at 012-278 5236.

Get ready to be absolutely spoiled for choice at the Royale Chulan Hotel, Seremban’s Han Pi Yuen for you and your family to have a feast. If you’re looking for the quintessential Chinese reunion meal, you wouldn’t be disappointed.

Chinese New Year’s all about getting together and eating to our heart’s delight (and maybe collecting those red packets- “ang pow”) The very first meal you’ll dig into is undoubtedly your reunion dinner- where all your loved ones are gathered around the same table and enjoying a seemingly endless amount of scrumptious food. If you’re thinking of upping the scale and making this year’s reunion dinner a truly unforgettable one, why not treat the family to a lavish reunion dinner at Han Pi Yuen.

The Han Pi Yuen Restaurant is a perfect venue for anyone planning to dine. Whether you are planning a corporate gathering, reunion or looking for a restaurant venue to impress your clients for this Chinese New Year, they have a variety of Chinese New Year set lunch and dinner menus that will surely delight the taste buds of diners ushering the New Year. These special Chinese New Year set menus starts from 4^th until 6^th February 2019, lunch from 12 noon until 2.30pm and dinner from 6.oo pm- 10.00pm. There are 3 sets of menu that you can select:-

The prosperous and Happiness Fatt Choy Chinese New Year Menu 1

 :- RM1,288 net per table of 10 persons

The Wealthy & Healthy Family Chinese New Year Menu 2

 :- RM1,388 net per table of 10 persons

The Fortune & Wealth Reunion Chinese New Year Menu 3

 :- RM1,688 net per table of 10 persons

Having your reunion meal here will surely put you in the festive mood.

Spring Yee Sang

Presented in a large plate, the type of ingredients are not what you normally find in a traditional Yee Sang. The Spring Yee Sang is sweet sour yet not cloying and the soft shell crab lends a splendid texture that leaves me wanting for more.

Double boiled superior baby shark fin with Morel

Chinese soup is almost a must in every Chinese Restaurant, which is always a pleasure to have for it. It must be the technique of preparing soup by the awesome Chef Jack, as I sipped the thick soup in all richness to the last bit. The soup was boiled to perfection and everything traditional soup should be!

Steamed glutinous rice with lobster

It was not difficult for all our attention to be arrested when this platter was served, which I spotted the huge lobsters, cooked together with steamed glutinous rice, best to have without any sauce for me as this is the best way for me to appreciate the taste of the meal. Every mouthful of the lobsters is complete with the aromatic blend and rest assured that you will definitely fall in love with it! A lip-smackingly good dish!

Steam Tiger Grouper with Chicken Essence

While we like the steamed fish taste on its own, the overall taste of the dish taken together was significantly masked by the chicken essence. The thick stock blended well and credit goes to the firm yet chewy texture of the yummy-li-ous grouper. The added zest and aroma in the fish certainly made it more palatable than a plainly steamed one. Compliments to the Chef!

Braised dry Seafood with pumpkin

Dried oysters and black moss or “Ho See Fatt Choy” in Cantonese, is a traditional dish that is eaten almost exclusively during Chinese New Year. So why is this dish eaten for Chinese New Year, a time where everyone wants to start off on a high note to prosperity, health and “auspicious” everything and anything? Well, the dried oyster is called “Ho See”, which sounds like the word for good events or deeds. “Fatt Choy” (the black moss) sounds like the word for prosperity or “to get rich”. The mushrooms add body and a nice flavour as well. It is not only flavourful but also has high nutritional value. A perfect dish anytime…..especially so during the festive New Year.

Steamed village chicken with tong kwai and Cordyceps flower

I can’t resist this steamed village chicken herbal dish. It is simple but delicious dish of marinated chicken with steamed Chinese herbs. The result is tender and moist meat infused with a wonderful herbal aroma. The most dominant herb in this dish is Tong Kwai and Cordyceps Flower. A warming herb, it has strong, pungent fragrance and is also sweet and slight bitter. It tasted succulent and great!

Overall, the Chinese New Year feast at Han Pi Yuen didn’t miss any mark nor did it spring any surprises! Dishes here didn’t deviate far from it’s traditional form and flavour. You can expect quality and consistency and thus be assured that your traditional Chinese New Year feast here won’t be a disappointment!

Han Pi Yuen Restaurant is located at Mezzanine floor of the hotel. For reservations, please log on to www. royalechulan-seremban.com or call 606-766 6666

Let the rhythm move you!

Pretty much the most awesome workout ever. Danced to great music, with great people like Kak Rosie, Zin Sasa, Zin Aida and burnt a ton of calories without even realising it!

A seas of colourful and festive merrymakers and wellness enthusiasts that filled the venue at Pantai Cahaya, Port Dickson with a bang on 12 January 2019, Saturday from 2.00pm until 11.00pm. Zumba groups from different parts of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia gathered and partied at the famous tourism venue for the first time. About 400 participants came together to make this event a success organised by Reezfa Cinta Fitness with collaboration Persatuan Kecergasan Daerah Port Dickson and Pejabat Belia dan Sukan Daerah Port Dickson.

I could mentioned many healthy benefits that ZUMBA has for my body, such as calorie burn, toning, stress release, the social aspect of it (It is ageless!), the fun, time passes (too) quickly, etc…And or course the fact, that the Port Dickson Fitness Festival was amazing….and it felt like life is a big beach party!

We arrived at 4.30pm, found a safe parking spot, changed into our comfy ZUMBA outfits and headed straight to the event venue only to discover that we were very early. The registration counter was not opened. What perhaps wasn’t so positive (But ultimately maybe is in the hands of the organisers) the lacked of proper signages/banners or should I say, there were extremely non-existence. The poor management and crowd control caused frustrating pushing and shoving at the registration booth.

Luckily, I managed to contact Kaizer Rizal, who immediately came to my rescue and assisted us and registered us, we even got a nice free black Tee (the first 200 participants). After that, I decided to take a short and brief tour around the venue, however, there were no food trucks located nearby, only a few small booths and stalls. Oh dear, I also observed that, there were no medics on stand-by. (Maybe I was a little to early) I walked a little more, watched the crowd come by little by little, got a glimpsed of the Zumba Instructors rehearsing, watched the young and also the young at heart, taking their positions in front of the stage. Loved the set up, it was near the beach, the wind was nice and breezy, a little humid but nevertheless we were surrounded by lots of shady trees and the music sound system was a blast!

At about 5.40pm, the party began to get pumped up! The ZUMBA party began, there were no loud vocal cues, instead the instructors used hand gestures and simply demonstrated their moves. The moves incorporated hip-hop, cumbia, joget, samba, salsa, mambo and more. Then there was Pop-reggaeton and even Bollywood songs thrown in.

The event was designed to bring people together, everybody and everybody! It started and begin with a warm up and ended with a cool down and some dynamic and static stretching. It was not a regular old aerobics class, each song was a different rhythm with a different dance routine so no Zumba group was equal to the other, specially the different instructors since they all added their own style to the moves. The best part? The moves were easy to learn! And they repeated in different songs, so the more you danced, the faster you will get the hang of it!

It’s addictive! First timers often find themselves struggling to keep up, but the fiesta atmosphere at Pantai cahaya Port Dickson will leave you wanting more!

The best part about this Zumba by the beach, though is that no experience is necessary to join in the fun. Anyone can do it! People of all ages, fitness levels and dancing abilities can have a blast while getting a good workout at their own level!

A big shout out goes to Mel-C for giving me the opportunity to extend your invitation for this party,  A big thank you and truly much appreciated to Kaizer Rizal and team for graciously assisting and for giving all the help on all the necessary information needed. It was an amazing experience well done and KUDOS!

The start of a New Year is the perfect time to turn a new page, which is probably why so many people create New Year’s Resolutions. A new year often feels like a fresh start, a great opportunity to eliminate bad habits and establish new routines that will help you grow psychologically, emotionally, socially, physically or intellectually. Of course, resolutions are much easier to make than to keep! So this year, I challenge myself and YOU!

As a runner, there is almost nothing in this world that can take me to the places that running does. I find solitude in my running, I find my thoughts and my peace, I find energy and motivation, I come up with my best ideas and solve my toughest problems. Running transforms me.

I try to encourage others to run, but even if they want to do it, they don’t know how.

I won’t say that it’ll be easy, especially in the beginning. But I will say that it won’t kill you (assuming you don’t have major health problems) and that it will get easier and even fun in a few short weeks.

When the running gets tough, the tough get motivated.