• BOOKS,  food,  local events

    A Perennial Feast by YTL Hotels

    YTL Hotels, in remaining true to its philosophy of crafting inspired experiences, unveiled it’s much anticipated coffee table book, A Perennial Feast, at Starhill Culinary Studio, Starhill Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.

    A Perennial FeastA Perennial Feast. The beautiful cover features the Cameron Highland tea plantation as a backdrop.

    The book was launched yesterday by Dato’ Yeoh Soo Min, Executive Director of YTL Corporation with the presence of the writer, Kim Inglis, A British writer and one of the best book editors the UK ever had, now based in Singapore.

    launchDato’ Yeoh Soo Min and Kim Inglis.

    Written by Kim Inglis and published by Talisman Publishing, A Perennial Feast delves into a variety of cuisines and cultures from Malaysia and Southeast Asia into China, Japan and Europe while featuring some of the world’s finest resorts and luxurious destinations from YTL Hotels.

    Beginning in Malaysia, the heart and home of of YTL group, this book showcases both island resorts and city heritage hotels and restaurants, all the while giving an overview of Malay cuisine. Recipes of traditional Malay fare are combined with some East meets West fusion food and some innovative seafood dishes. The book then branches further afield into the snowy landscapes of Hokkaido and the cityscape of modern Shanghai, exploring both recipes and cuisines from Japan and China. Sections on England, Bali, Thailand and France follow – all showcasing iconic properties in stunning full-colour photography by Danish photographer, Jacob Termansen.

    Foodies will savour the finest in gastronomy with sustainable ingredients and preparations from simple to complex, natural to exuberant. At-home chefs will find the carefully researched signature dishes easy to recreate in their kitchens. All in all, this book is a veritable feast for the eyes and palette – and will delight those interested in culinary adventure. Each cuisine is described in detail and the highlights of the various restaurants are outlined. There are starters, soups, a selection of main courses, and desserts – from all corners of the globe – and a variety of drinks that harness ingredients, tastes, and textures from many different sources.

    Now that I own A Perennial Feast, I will find time to ‘travel’ and cook in the comfort of my own home. I don’t often cook but it’ll be a challenge to try a recent favourite, a Steamed Fillet of Saltwater Barramundi served with bird’s eye chilli, roasted baby eggplant and pumpkin sauce, that I got to taste after the launching of the book.

    Steamed FilletSimply delicious! Takes me right away to Fisherman’s Cove, overlooking the seafront of Pangkor Laut Resort. OK, I have never been to this resort but at least this cuisine takes me there.

    Here are more photos from my international culinary journey through a four-course artful dinner at the private Third Floor Gallery located at JW Marriot Kuala Lumpur. Led by Chef Wai, chefs from various restaurants of YTL Hotels came together to prepare the dinner.

    YTL Hotels' chefsYTL Hotels’ chefs.

    My-dedicated-tableMy dedicated table.

     Stir-fried-prawnAmuse Bouche of Snow White Dancing Prawns from Shook! Kuala Lumpur.

    Chef-TommyChef Tommy from Japan preparing our next cuisine.

    Soft-Shell-MakiSoft Shell Maki and Kaki Agebonoyaki from Gonbei San, Japan.

    Pressed-Chicken-SauteMain Courses served on a plate: Pressed Chicken Saute and Steamed Fillet of Saltwater Barramundi from Fisherman’s Cove, PangkorLaut.

    dessertGariguette Strawberries from Muse Saint Tropez to conclude the night.

    These delicious cuisines and many more in A Perennial Feast, which is available at Kinokuniya, Borders, MPH Bookstores, Times the Bookshop and WH Smith at the price of RM125 per copy. Go get yours today and create YTL Hotels’ dinner or lunch in your own home. Alternatively, you can travel to one of YTL’s exotic hotels or restaurants as you’ll get a real gastronomic experience with the original settings.

  • Family travel,  Singapore,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    Universal Studio Singapore

    Having experience driving to Singapore to visit Singapore Zoo And Night Safari in 2011 is a privilege and our second roadtrip to Singapore last December was smooth as we know what are the requirements to enter Singapore by car. But we did have little extra things to do before we can enter Singapore; get new Autopass Card with VEP at the LTA office and get new IMM27E cards to be filled. I forgot where I keep the cards, if not it would’ve been much faster to write it at home instead of writing at the immigration booth. I have to get new Autopass as I was using another car. If you want to know how to enter Singapore by car, read my 7 things you need to know before travelling from Malaysia to Singapore by car.

    Anyway, to the main point: Universal Studio Singapore (USS). Bought our tickets from a travel agency in Danga Bay, Johor Bahru. Saved us the hassle to queue for tickets at USS. We reached Resorts World Sentosa around 1.00pm and it was raining.

    raining

     First thing we did when we arrived: find food! Yassin was hungry to the max.

    hungry-Yassin
    Yassin having nasi lemak with fried chicken at the food area in the Resorts World Sentosa.

    Next, USS!

    YAssin-and-dad-at-USS-entrance
    Yassin and his dad in front of the famous Universal Pictures’ rotating globe

    USS is the talk in town and after talking for few months about wanting to go, we finally have the time to visit the place. We wouldn’t want to miss for the Southeast Asia (read: world)!

    USS Entrance
    Heading to enter the USS.

    USS is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It is the second Universal Studios theme park to open in Asia (Japan being the first), and the first in Southeast Asia.  Opened on 18 March 2010, USS has since attracted more than 2 million visitors in the 9 months from its opening.

    Yassin-USS-Store
    Yassin in front of USS Store.

    Universal Studios Singapore is 20 hectares (49 acres) in size, occupying the easternmost part of the 49-hectare (120-acre) Resorts World Sentosa. There are a total of 24 attractions, of which 18 are original or specially adapted for the park. The park consists of seven themed zones which surround a lagoon. Each zone is based on a blockbuster movie or a television show, featuring their own unique attractions, character appearances, dining and shopping areas. The park features the world’s tallest pair of dueling roller coasters that are based on the popular television series, Battlestar Galactica; a castle from the world of Shrek and Monster Rock, a live musical show featuring the Universal Monsters. Universal Studios Singapore has over 30 restaurants and food carts, together with 20 unique retail stores and carts located around the park. Dining outlets that are certified Halal are marked with “Halal”.

    Themed zones here include Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Far Far Away and Madagascar.

    Hollywood: Themed after the real Hollywood Boulevard of the 1970s, the Hollywood zone is framed by dynamic architecture, palm trees and the famous Hollywood ‘Walk of Fame’.

    hollywood
    Emila goes to Hollywood!

    JohnForsythe
    Posing at John Forsythe’s star.

    jewelry
    Yassin and me admiring a jewellery store in Hollywood. I was attracted by the Red Poppy poster.

    New York: Themed after post-modern New York City that features sidewalks and classic landmarks that mimic its cityscape. The area is enhanced by neon lights and flanked by street facades that set the scenes for big city fun and also real-time movie production for most Hollywood blockbuster films. We went in the Lights, Camera, Action! Studio and got to see an mazing show of how effects are made.

    Light,-Camera,-Action!
    At the set of movie production- Lights, Camera, Action! Mr. Spielberg giving his talk about effects.

    Studio
    A model boathouse studio in New York City. Once the command to roll cameras has been given, the sky darkens, thunder and lightning fill the room, heavy rain pours through the ceiling, and we were immersed in various effects such as strong wind, intense fire, signboards crashing through the roof, the boathouse windows blowing away, movement of the platform they are standing on, and a huge cargo ship slamming through the boathouse entrance.

    NY-Library
    My husband in front of New York Public Library.

    Rockefeller Center
    Yassin and me in front of Rockefeller Center.

    Sci-Fi City: Sci-Fi City is themed after what cities and metropolis may look like in the future, equipped with space-age technologies and the ultimate modern conveniences. We took the Transformer Ride and I tell you, the effect makes me went dizzy! Yassin and his dad thought that the ride is the coolest thing at USS!

    Transformer-Ride
    Patiently waiting in line for the Transformer Ride.

    favcar
    Yassin in front of his favourite Transformer car.

    Ancient Egypt: As the name suggests, the Ancient Egypt zone is themed after the rich Egyptian architecture and artifacts found during the Golden Age of Egyptian Exploration in the 1930s.

    giantanubis
    Yassin standing at the foot of giant Anubis statue.

    Ancient-Egypt
    At the wall of Ancient Egypt.

    The Lost World The Lost World zone features two smaller themed regions: Jurassic Park and Waterworld. We went to the Jurassic Park but skipped the Waterworld.

    dinosaur
    Yassin and his dad taking the Dinosaur Ride.

    Far Far Away: Far Far Away is based on the kingdom of the same name featured in DreamWorks Animations’ Shrek. Those who have a Graphic Design Service Subscription would have heard about it. We went inside the castle and got to see two shows: Shrek 3-D Show with added physical effects that is based on the story of Shrek and his quest to save Princess Fiona and Donkey Live Show – an interactive live show using digital puppetry technology, which features Donkey entertaining and engaging guests in conversation in an intimate theatre setting.

    farfaraway
    It was raining Shrek and Donkey, so we had to get ourselves raincoats when we reached the Land of Far Far Away.

    Madagascar: The Madagascar zone features a displaced cargo ship that houses the Madagascar: A Crate Adventure ride. It also features all of the characters from DreamWorks Animations’ Madagascar.

    Madagascar
    Posing with Madagascar’s stars: from left – Melman, Marty, Alex and urm..Melman’s body.

    We went on A Crate Adventure ride and had to queue for an hour and it was fun. Could not take pictures during the ride, so I cannot show you how it was like. A Crate Adventure is a river boat ride with state-of-the-art animatronics, digital projection and surround sound, all housed within the hull of a displaced cargo ship. This attraction features the famous voice talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith throughout the ride.

    We had a great time at Universal Studio Singapore and hope to return again to explore some other part that we skipped. And here are some more photos from USS. Enjoy!

    chevrolet
    Yassin and vintage Chevrolet, in front of Mel’s Dine-In, Hollywood.

    NY-buildings
    New York buildings.

    NY
    Street of New York.

     Reference: Wikipedia – USS

  • Art & Places,  Family travel,  graphite,  Kuala Lumpur,  moleskine,  sculpture,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    Art & Places: Tugu Negara, KL

    Went to Tugu Negara as per suggestion of UnsungHero (UH). Thank you so much for the idea, if not for you, UH, I will be taking my own sweet time to go. Frankly, I have never visit the National Monument simply because it’s here at home.

    I spent the morning to walk around the area with my son, Yassin, before sitting down to sketch the monument.

    Tugu Negara
    Yassin was actually lying on his stomach to be in his comfortable position to draw. Haha.

    tugunegara
    Tugu Negara (National Monument) sketch. I made one round before finding a good angle to draw. Save me the time to draw all 7 statues! Pencil and colorpencil on Moleskine Plain Notebook. 

    The sculpture depicts a group of soldiers, with two slumped at the base and one holding the Malaysian national flag aloft. Each of the bronze figures symbolizes leadership, suffering, unity, vigilance, strength, courage and sacrifice. The granite base of the sculpture bears the old coat of arms of Malaysia, flanked on either side by inscriptions in English in Latin script and Malay in Jawi script: ‘Dedicated to the heroic fighters in the cause of peace and freedom, May the blessing of Allah be upon them.’

    The monument was designed by sculptor, Felix De Weldon who was also responsible for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia, United States. Completed early 1966, the sculpture stands at 15 meters (49.21 feet) tall and is the world’s tallest bronze free-standing sculpture grouping.

    Yassin at Tugu Negara Malaysia, KL

    And here’s Yassin’s drawing:

    yassin's-drawing-of-tugu
    Yassin said the monument is too hard to draw (left) so he later a soldier with gun (right).

    Reference: Wikipedia – National Monument (Malaysia)

     

     

  • mixed media,  moleskine

    Magic Tree

    Insyirah asked me the other on what to draw. I told her to draw magic tree as I, myself, like to draw magic tree when I was little.  She drew it very fast! It took  me a while because I draw when time permits.

    Let’s take a look at Insyirah’s magic tree.

    magic-tree-insyirah
    Watercolor on watercolor paper. Magic Tree by Insyirah.

    Description of Insyirah’s painting:
    When you go under this tree and wish it will come true only if you had a kind heart. Example .*sits under a tree* ( you say = ) I wish I had some sandwiches and a drink. I’m hungry.*then a picnic basket hits your head*( you say = ) Hey look! this basket has what I wanted! 

    I surely love to sit under this magic tree with Insyirah.

    And this is my version of magic tree:

    magic-tree
    Pen on Moleskine sketchbook.

    Description: You can live on this tree and pick stars or berries from your window or door. If you pick a star, you can wish for anything you want. You just need to say, “Twinkle, twinkle little star, please grant me a (fill in your wish). Thank you.” If you pick a berry, it will turn into any food you have in mind.

    When you feel like playing, you can just step down the ladder and get on the swing. If you are too lazy, the ravens can help carry you down. Hehe talk about fantasy. You can make anything happen in your mind. 

    Do you have your own version of magic tree? Show me and leave me your link in the comment box.

  • Art & Places,  Frankfurt,  Germany,  graphite,  moleskine,  prismacolor,  sculpture,  Travel illo,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    Art & Places: Statue of Minerva, Romerberg, Frankfurt

    Here is a statue of Minerva situated in front of timbered houses at Romerberg, Frankfurt.

    minerva
    Pencil and color-pencil on Moleskine plain notebook.

    Minerva  was an ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and reason, of warfare for a good cause, protector of handicrafts, arts, schools and sciences. She was the daughter of Jupiter, the king of the gods.

    Minerva was built from red sandstone by sculptor Friedrich Schierholz  in 1893/94. It was half destroyed in 1944 during the WW2 and again in 1951 by the Romans. Later in 1983, sculptor Fritz Klimsch sculpted an exact copy of the statue. Minerva wears a lion head’s helmet with a crest decorated with a head of a woman (not sure what this means) and feathers.

    She holds a spear on her left hand while the head of Medusa on her right. She is wearing a toga protected with an Aegis, a shield or buckler, on her body. She stands on a column decorated with floral ornaments.

    minerva-photo

    Reference:

    Kunst Im Offenlichen – Minerva Fountain

     

     

  • Art & Places,  Frankfurt,  Germany,  graphite,  moleskine,  prismacolor,  sculpture,  Travel illo,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    Art & Places: Statue of Justice, Romerberg, Frankfurt

    The statue of the goddess Justitia that graces the Fountain of Justice (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen) stands proudly at the heart of the Romerberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

    justitia
    Pencil and color-pencil on Moleskine Plain Notebook.

    Previously, in 1610, the sculptor Johann Hocheisen created the fountain and the figure from red sandstone but after the war, Justitia had lost half of her arm (not sure left or right) and the scales went missing. Later in 1887, she was rebuilt in bronze by F. R. Schierholz, funded by a Frankfurt wine merchant.

    Justitia, the Roman goddess of Justice, is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Justitia is depicted with a set of scales suspended from her right hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case’s support and opposition. Mature, pretty and draped in flowing robes, she is also carrying a sword in her left hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party.

    The statue is adorned with 4 water nymphs on the corners of its pedestal as symbol of fertility.

    fountain-of-justice

    Reference:
    Wikipedia.org – Lady Justice
    Fountain of Justice
    Historical Frankfurt – Fountain of Justice