Cleffairy's Blog, page 143

Alfio Raldo Spring/Summer 2014 Collection Showcase

Are you a huge fan of bags, timepieces and eyewear? Well, I’m almost a certified shopaholic, and I can go crazy for bags and eyewear, especially. I think they make me look chic and classy. I, for one, never go out without my sunglasses or aviator. Apart from protecting my contact-lense clad eyes, they make me look cool too, and so, when I was invited for the the showcase of Alfio Raldo Spring/Summer 2014 Collection, I practically jumped for joy! How can I deny the opportunity ogling at pretty and hunky models… ahem….I mean, bags, shoes and eyewear? Now, that’s something that I wouldn’t pass for the world.

The Alfio Raldo Fashion preview was held in The Sky Bar, G Tower Hotel. I was early and it was scorching hot.I was getting pretty irritated with the weather, but lucky me, my celebrity friends were there too, and that alone cheered me up.

Iqwal Hafiz , the Singing Traveler was there too, and the first thing that he did after I joined him and his mum at the table was bringing us some fruit punch. That heat that day may have melted my makeup, but his charms melted my heart, seriously. I thought his mum cum manager has raised him so well. Despite being a celebrity and a star sensation, he’s courteous and as gentlemanly as ever, and made me hope that one day, my son will grow up to be someone who is as courteous as as well.

Deejay Elly Raja Lawak of eWana FM who hosted the morning show Kalut Pagi every Mon-Fri from 9am-11pm was there too. If you’re not a radio listener, well, you might wanna start tuning in to eWana. You can listen to eWana via their website or via mobile apps like TuneIn. Her show guarantees to crack you up!

It takes awhile for the fashion preview to start, but eventually it commenced. Plenty of familar local celebrities like Amber Chia and Siti Saleha officiates the launch. Boy was I glad to meet them in person, especially Ms. Siti Saleha. I’m a huge fan of her dramas.

Models, showcasing the latest Alfio Raldo Spring/Summer 2014 Shoes and Bags Collection. These collections are not only striking in design and colours, but also have a competitive pricetags attached to it, so if you’re a fashion geek, you might wanna check it out.

All the models, with this season’s collection of timepieces, eyewear, bags and shoes. Trendy and flashy, huh? You’ll definitely stand out in the crowd if you’re to don all these stuff.

Collections on display that day.

A closer look at Alfio Raldio’s timepiece collections. These are unisex, I believe.

Lovely aviator on display

I got my eyes on this bag that day. Lovely, sweet and striking, don’t you think?

Alfio Raldio definitely brings fashion to a whole new level, and I’m glad to be able to catch a glimpse of their new collections firsthand. Keep a lookout for these at stores near you, ya?

Cleffairy: Special thanks to Alfio Raldo from yours truly for the lucky draw prize. I’m absolutely in love with the sunglass, bag and watch.

From Russia With Love

Russians are always portrayed as the bad guys in the Hollywood movies. They are either the mafia, drug dealers, mad scientist or worst…terrorist. In those Hollywood movies, most of them looks awfully obese with scary mustache and beard.

But having the opportunity to meet REAL life Russians in their National Day dinner a few days ago, I discovered that my whole life was a lie. They are nothing like what the movies portrayed. Their ladies are stunningly beautiful and their men are gentlemanly courteous and entertaining. And yes…they look good enough to eat too. They are crazy for Vodka and is passionate about food and of course..rather vigorous when it come to making money.Their men knows how to pay compliments and they flatter you like crazy…and heck, they’ll kiss your hands in greeting too if you are a lady!

There’s awfully a lot of people during the dinner that night.

It was my first time attending such a formal event. Everyone was looking gorgeous in their evening wear, and I would have felt inferior if I did not make an effort to dress up myself. Phewww…

My friend, Ms. Paris and Captain(Navy) Sergey Zhevnovatiey, Defense Attache.This pair looks so good together, don’t you think? I think they look perfect together. Unfortunately, they are both married to different Russians.

I met a lot of people that night. Business people, VVIPs, ambassadors, friendly and charming Russian men…and befriended some too. Say hello to my new  friend, guys. His name is Dimitri, from Uzbekistian This fella is a funny one. He’s Russian speaking and taught us ladies how to…ahemm…swear in Russians.

Anyway, I learned during the dinner that 2014 is a significant year for the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Malaysia. Not only it marks the 47th year of bilateral relationship between the Russian Federation and Malaysia, but in conjunction with the Russian National Day this year, the Embassy brings a household name in the Russian jewellery industry, “Moiseikin” to Malaysia. The Embassy was established since April 1968 with H.E. Vladimir Kuznetsov as the first Ambassador, marking the beginning of bilateral relationship between Russia and Malaysia.Presently, H.E. Lyudmila Vorobyeva and a number of 20 diplomats continue the legacy to strengthen this partnership through political, trade, investment, educational and cultural exchange.

Russia is currently Malaysia’s 26th trading partner with turnover worth USD 2.7 billion in 2013, an increase of 53.7% compared to 2012. Russia exports mineral oil, fertilizer and rubber products to Malaysia. Imports include electric and electronic equipment, mechanical equipment and rubber products. With the recent trade visit by the Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Alexey Likachev, the two great nations plan to expand bilateral relationship in transportation, facility development and banking. Russia also wants to share its expertise in aerospace, engineering, medical and pharmaceutical. The latest, a pharmaceutical factory worth RM250 million in Pahang is another collaboration to create vaccine for dengue fever; the first in the world. By 2015, it is estimated that 15% Malaysian doctors will be Russian university medical graduates.

Partnering with a frequent Malaysian collaborator, TM Info-Media Sdn. Bhd. and through negotiations with another internal-class organization; the National Visual Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, the Embassy proudly presents ‘The Art of Russian Luxury by Moiseikin’ from 10th until 16th June 2014.

For this special showcase which represents the modern interpretation of 200-year-old Russian tradition of luxury founded by the famous Karl Faberge, Moiseikin shares 37 of his one-of-a-kind masterpieces for the public eye of Malaysians. Most of the exhibits are flown outside of Russia for the first time, eager to meet all art lovers in Malaysia.

Known for his skills and expertise in stone-cutting, Moiseikin presents beautiful animal figurines…

And graceful flowers inspired by Mother Nature with extreme details of precious stones.

What makes the craft so unique is the fact that some of the exhibit items are actually pieces of jewellery attached together to form the jewellery miniatures. One may need to look very closely to see that perhaps the golden bird hanging on the jewel tree is actually a brooch pin ready to complete your look for the day. Or perhaps the edible-looking fruits made of pearls dangling from the miniature are actually a pair of pearl earrings. Truly, a showcase not to be missed.

Victor Moiseikin first fell in love with colourful stones when his father, Vladimir who was a geologist presented him with a piece of malachite. Since then, he has been filling up his treasure box with colourful stones from the Urals, Russia. In 1993, he opened a small jewellery studio in Yekaterinburg, holding on to his life-long dream of reviving the tradition of Russian luxury since founded by Karl Faberge in the 19th Century. Coming from generations of artists (architects, carvers, sculptors, etc), it is only natural for Moiseikin to create beautiful images in his mind and turn them into reality with his own hands. Since then, he has participated in various international jewellery fairs and opened his own showroom in Dubai and Hong Kong.

In 2010 and 2012 MOISEIKIN was awarded with the Order of Carl Faberge memorial fund for outstanding contribution to the development of Russian art of jewelry. Among his esteemed clients are Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Michael of Kent, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, famous designer Paco Rabanne, Russian opera star Elena Obraztsova, etc.

Wanna admire the art of luxury yourselves? The exhibit will be at the National Art Gallery from 10th until 16th June 2014, so hop over before they fly back to Russia!

 

Cleffairy: Ya tebya lyublyu

 

 

More Kisses Please

Oral hygiene is very important for me. As an active lifestyle blogger who attends events quiet frequently, I need to interact and socialize with people quite a lot. Flashy smile with pearly whites is my cosmetic. Apart from that, I’m a kisser.

I love giving friendly pecks and not to mention, I love kissing. Although…the intimate kissing part is only given exclusively to my husband.

So yes. Oral hygiene is important for me, so that I can smile more, and kiss more. Problem is? I have sensitive gums that bleeds easily and my teeth are quite crooked. I fear pain…so braces is definitely out of question and to clean my teeth properly, I need to choose a toothbrush that’s suitable for me.

As of late, I stumbled across this new toothbrush from Lion Lion, Systema Spiral 0.02mm, a toothbrush for those who wants extra clean teeth. So you ask me what’s so special about this toothbrush? Well, Systema Spiral removes 40% more plague with it’s hexagon shaped filaments. The toothbrush’s filaments are twisted together to form spirals, enabling its 6 sharp sides to scrape away the plaque effectively.

This toothbrush is sold at about RM8 per piece and is available in major supermarkets and pharmacy. Worth an investment if you want beautiful, plaque-free smile, if you ask me.

Cleffairy: So…how about more kisses?

Simplot Showcases Hashbrown Recipe with Chef Florence Tan

Simplot, the largest potato grower, manufacturer and supplier in the world, shared their inspiring and versatile hashbrown recipes with a Malaysian twist which can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner or anytime in between. Usually served as a staple choice for breakfast meals, Simplot Hashbrown is much loved for its taste, texture and crispiness. Made from real potatoes, Simplot Hashbrown is changing the cooking trend with modern mothers to showcase this freezer staple as a versatile ready-to-go ingredient that can result in dishes with added flavour and texture.

Hashbrowns can be used as a main ingredient in many dishes. It can be the filling in curry puffs, samosas, cutlets, fritters or it can be added to curries, and stir fry dishes with meat and vegetables. It is more convenient and time-saving to prepare compared to raw potato and hashbrowns add a yummy crunch to dishes.

Recently, in a workshop where bloggers were invited,the renowned Chef Florence Tan demonstrated several Malaysian dishes made using Simplot Hashbrown. The witty chef whipped up the famous curry puff and mee rebus using hashbrown as the main ingredient.

Bloggers and invited media cooked up delicious meals and snacks using easy to follow recipes from Simplot Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Some of the dishes created include Potato and Vegetable Cutlet, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Malaysian-style spaghetti Bolognese with Popcorn Hashbrown. Recipes can be found on www.facebook.com/SimplotAward .

Simplot Hashbrown comes in four varieties of hashbrown products including the best-seller Simplot Hashbrown Original, Simplot Hashbrown Triangle, Mini Hashbrown and Popcorn Hashbrown. A cholesterol-free product, Simplot Hashbrown do not contain any artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. It also has zero grams of trans-fat.

In conjunction with the workshop, Simplot Malaysia is also organising the first-ever ‘Simplot Award – Malaysia’s Best Home Chef’. The public can participate simply by creating a recipe using Simplot Hashbrown range of products and upload a photo of their finished hashbrown recipe together with Simplot Hashbrown product. The photo must carry their own caption and hashtag #SimplotAward.

The best 20 recipes will be shortlisted and will receive RM200 worth of vouchers from TESCO together with goodie bag from Simplot Malaysia Sdn Bhd. From the shortlisted list, Simplot will select the top 8 finalist to compete in the final cook-off in June 19. The public can also nominate their family member, friend or a Malaysian food blogger they regularly follow to join the competition. Should their nominated candidate be shortlisted as the top eight finalist, they will also win RM200 worth of vouchers from TESCO together with goodie bag from Simplot Malaysia Sdn Bhd worth RM100. If their candidate wins the Simplot Award – Malaysia’s Best Home Chef’, they will also win a kitchen appliance.

Prizes include RM5,000 cash, kitchen appliances and a Simplot goodie bag for the champion, RM3,000, kitchen appliances and a Simplot goodie bag for the runner up, RM2,000 cash, kitchen appliances and a Simplot goodie bag for the third best dish. Consolation prizes include kitchen appliances and a Simplot goodie bag each. The closing date to submit the recipes is June 14.

For more information on Simplot Hashbrown recipes and how to participate, visit www.facebook.com/SimplotAward and Instagram @SimplotMY.

Specially Designed School Holiday Enrichments For My Son

It’s school holiday again, and unlike other parents with children of my son’s age, I don’t really have any specific ‘enrichment’ plans for them that will help them prepare for the next school term or exam. Like I said many times before, my son is different and therefore, our priorities is different too. If you have been following my blog, you’d realize that I don’t push my son academically. Knowing that he doesn’t swing and excel that way, I concentrated on giving him hands on experience and help him build life skills instead. Some other parents might be feeling distressed by the society’s expectation on modern children and succumbed to peer pressure, but I don’t give a hoot about that. This is because I’ve seen how my son flourished and improved once I concentrate on what he is good at instead of his flaws. We are much happier now.

So yes. If other parents of with children of about 9 years old are busy getting their children in holiday class or boot camp during the school break, my autistic child and I are busy having fun. There is no competing with friends on who gets better score or who reads more but there is various fun activities for us.

My ‘school holiday enrichment’ program doesn’t cost much money, but it does take up a lot of my time. Our school holiday activities consists of fun road trips, learning to travel by public transport, cooking and baking, shopping, attending cocktail parties and mingle with expat and foreign children who came to visit the countries, revamping the house with various kind of furniture and deco and of course, our all time favourite pastime activity, go for food hunts and joining shopping mall events.

All these consume time, but it’s fun, especially decorating the wall at home. You see, the wall has always been plain and we thought that some deco would bring some fun mood to the house.

It’s our school holiday pet project. I got my son to be involved in it every step of the way, from choosing wall deco to having it installed on the wall.

Instead of going for shopping at specialty store for the deco, I decided to shop for it online instead to avoid the hassle of going out and face the school holiday crowd’s.There are plenty of websites selling wall deco items around, but we kinda fell in love with the ones that’s selling tree themes wall deco.

So what do you think? Isn’t this lovely? I happen to think that this is just perfect, and I’m very proud that my son demonstrate patience throughout the whole process.

Childhood is all about getting the experience and building memories, and I’m glad that this time around we decided to decorate the wall together. The next time we look at the wall, we’ll remember the memorable times we had together.

So, parents, these are my very own ‘school holiday enrichment programs’. How is your school holiday with your children so far? Are you having a blast too?

Bake and Donate This Ramadan With Planta

Planta, Malaysia’s trusted margarine brand for generations, launched Seceria Air Tangan Ibu for Hari Raya to inspire mothers to share their ‘air tangan’ and bake colourful, mouth-watering cookies and cakes for a bright Raya atmosphere for the entire family, especially their children.

Planta’s new cookie and cake recipes bring a colourful twist to traditional Raya cookies like Pineapple Tart, Pandan Semperit and Marble cake while introducing new recipes such as Red Velvet Cookie, Buah Hati Cookie and Pinwheel Cookie. Inspired by the colours of the rainbow, these cookies and cakes will add a colourful vibe and capture a mother’s loving air tangan.

The recipes from Seceria Air Tangan Ibu will be shown every Wednesday on top-rated Malay talk show, Wanita Hari Ini on TV3 beginning June 11 for seven weeks. It features celebrity host and actress, Sharifah Shahirah as she showcases easy, colourful and tasty cookies created by Planta. In this warm family-themed segment, Sharifah invites special guests including her mother, mother-in-law, husband, daughter and sister to join her to share air tangan memories while baking colourful cookies on the show.

In the spirit of giving during the month of Ramadan, Planta is extending the Seceria Air Tangan Ibu campaign through the Beramal Bersama Planta National Charity Baking Week. Mothers can create a ‘colourful’ journey this Ramadan and bake cookies with Planta and share their air tangan with orphans in Malaysia. Planta aims to encourage mothers to come together as a lovely gesture to ‘raise’ a target of 50,000 cookies during the month of Ramadan from 16 to 20 July 2014.

Mothers can send their hand-made cookies to selected Mydin and Giant stores from 16 to 20 July 2014 and Planta will deliver the cookies to various orphanages. The public can also bake with Planta in selected Mydin and Giant stores with every purchase of Planta during this period. Details of the locations of these selected Mydin and Giant stores and details of how to participate in the Beramal Bersama Planta can be found on Planta’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/resepiplanta .

 

Father’s Day at Utara Coffee House, Armada Hotel PJ

Ooopss, father’s day is coming.SOON. VERY SOON. If you haven’t have any plans for your father, grandfather, husband or any father figure in your life yet, you might want to consider celebrating Father’s Day in Utara Coffee House on Saturday, 14th June 2014 and Sunday, 15th June 2014. Themed ‘My Father, My Hero’, treat your DAD on his special day to either a scrumptious Father’s Day Eve Buffet Dinner or a Father’s Day Buffet Hi-Tea.

Indulge in the endless variety of International and Local buffet spread while soaking in the lively atmosphere of LIVE performances, a lucky draw and exciting games that promise attractive prizes.

With Western favourites such as Salmon Carpaccio, ‘Minestrone Con Focaccia, ‘Lamb Osso Buco Milanese Style’ (Lamb Shank), Baked Chicken with Pesto Sauce, Paella Valencia and Asian Favourites such as Buttered Crabs, Fried Prawns with Coconut Flakes, Roast Duck with Plum Sauce, Ikan Pari Panggang dengan Air Asam, Chicken Yakitori and Kari Kepala Ikan, these array of mouth-watering dishes will definitely whet Daddy’s appetite.

Father’s Day Eve Buffet Dinner

Date : Saturday 14th June 2014

Time : 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Price : RM75++ adult | RM49++ senior citizen | RM38++ child

LIVE Band Performance : The Best Crew

Father’s Day Buffet Hi-Tea

Date : Sunday, 15th June 2014

Time : 12pm to 4pm

Price : RM70++ adult | RM46++ senior citizen | RM35++ child

LIVE Band Performance : Clair Rozells to perform golden classics

Activities : Teh Tarik Competition & Lucky Draw

Adding to the excitement during the Hi-Tea is a GRAND PRIZE of the day, – a 30- minute Scenic City Flight Tour for 3 persons by Runway 81 KL awaits one lucky father and Ducati goodies to be won!

So what are you waiting for? Call (03) 7954 6888 ext. 4557 now!

Beautiful and Elegant With Neng Geulis

Whenever I looked at myself in the mirror these days makes me feel that a lot of clothes and dress does not flatter me. I always look like an anorexic whenever I put on a dress. But one fine day, I put on a traditional nyonya kebaya that I inherited from my late grandmother and went for my husband’s colleague’s wedding, and I realized that I actually look good in traditional clothing. They flatters me and hides my flaws and makes me look not only chic and elegant, but stunningly beautiful too.

I suppose, the controversial Felixia Yeap (formerly a very sexy model and a Playboy bunny) more or less feels the same way too when she decided to be the first non-Muslim in Malaysia to wear clothing that covers her aurah full time. Truth be told, I feel quite inspired by her, and although I don’t don hijab the way she does, I do find that such way of dressing up makes a woman looks much more respectable. Many bashed Ms. Yeap for donning hijab, but seriously speaking, I respect her for that, as it is not easy for one to cover up her aurah, what more when we live in a country where most have this mindset where hijabs are supposed to be exclusively for Muslims. To me… whether you are a Muslim or not, it doesn’t matter. If wearing clothing that covers up your body makes you feel comfortable, then you should just go for it. In truth, it’s much better than wearing scantily clad clothing.  There is nothing wrong in wearing like a Muslim. It does not make you less human and having chatted with Ms. Yeap herself the other day when I visited Neng Geulis booth during Busainna Sale at Menara TM, I realized that wearing hijab does not make you a backward person. Her inspirational wisdom says as much.

Felixia Yeap and Hadiania Sujadi, founder/director of Neng Geulis Hijab

 

Felixia Yeap and her mother, who has been a pillar of her support.

So, what was I doing at a Muslimah clothing sale? What was I looking for? Well, I’m a huge fan of shawl. As of writing, I have plenty of shawls in my wardrobe, and I thought that perhaps I could loot something from the sale. :P  Not sure if my husband approves my spending, but then again, he never complains whenever I buy some shawls to accessorize with my clothing despite the fact that he knew that I have tonnes of them in my wardrobe. So yeah… I take that as a sign of unconditional support and approval.

I had my eyes on this piece the other day when I was browsing at Neng Geulis booth. Very beautiful, don’t you think? Ugh, I wish I can have this one! The lace is delicately beautiful!

And this pink blouse too, but unfortunately for me, the beautiful clothings would have to wait as I’ve splurged quite an amount of money on shawls and traditional clothings earlier on. So these… these will just have to wait.

For those who likes Muslimah clothing or is looking for some beautiful and elegant clothing for this upcoming Ramadan and Raya, you might want to check out Neng Geluis Hijab Facebook Pageor hop over to their website http://nenggeulis.com.my/

They have plenty of beautiful, high quality Muslimah clothing sold at an affordable price.

 

 

 

 

Improving Literacy With LiteracyPlanet Wordmania Chellenge

Knowing that your child is different and can never have the same milestone as other children of the same age and below can be rather depressing and disheartening, what more we’re living in a society that emphasize alot on academic achievements and excellence. Throughout the years, I come to realize that although autism is just a disorder and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. But then again, people can be condemning and they don’t necessarily share the same sentiment. The blame is always on my parenting skills, no matter how much my child achieve, it’s not going to be enough in anyone’s eyes as…well, you know, their children are obviously advanced socially and academically

I’ll be honest with you, it’s one of the reason why I kinda stopped going out with friends with children whose age are close to mine or below. It’s just difficult, seeing other kids who sometimes show off their academic skills so openly in front of you or look at your child weirdly as if he’s the weirdest and naughtiest child ever walked the face of the Earth as they grow up.

Parents can be cruel, but innocent children can be much worst without knowing. Seriously speaking, some children whom I used to think of as cute and adorable are starting to look rather loud, rude and obnoxious to me these days, and I rather not remember them that way.

So, instead of continuously socializing with parents and children who continuously makes me and my child feel inferior, I only associated myself with people who understand and supportive of me and my child. You’d be right if you say that I can’t protect myself or my child from the cruel world forever, but I believe in the law of attraction. If you mix around with positive people who motivates you, you’ll attract good things and soon enough, you’ll thrive from all the motivations and support.

Anyway, enough lamenting. I’ll have you know that I’m constantly on a lookout on how I can help my son improves his communication skills and literacy, and I happened to stumble upon this apps, known as LiteracyPlanet.LiteracyPlanet is an online learning app designed to improve students’ English language skills through fun, educational games and activities. LiteracyPlanet enables parents and educators to harness the power of rich digital media to enhance language skills and build confidence in students. Created by Intrepica Pty Ltd, Australia, the app includes curriculum from pre-school right up to upper secondary school. Lessons are catered to the individual needs of specific students and involves challenging tasks that can target areas requiring improvement. Now, that sounds promising and a mum like me would approve; Lessons that’s catered to individual needs instead of lesson that’s based on a child’s age.

It’s pretty much an interesting apps, and I come to realize that there’s this ‘Word Mania Challenge’ 2014 held quite some time ago. Word Mania Challenge is Malaysia’s largest nationwide online spelling competition that introduces a fun element to English literacy through an interactive virtual learning platform, reaching schools across Peninsular and East Malaysia. Opened to both primary and secondary students, the Challenge required themto create as many words as possible in 3 minutes from a pre-set list of letters.

20 student finalists competed in 45-minute sessions with separate categories for Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary. School winners for the Top 3 Scoring Primary Schools, Top 3 Scoring Secondary Schools, and the Most Participative School from each of the five regions across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.Launched on the 2 of January 2014, the competition saw students vying for the top spots for each of the seven categories. Amazing prizes worth up to RM 1 million in total such as Samsung 4G Chromebooks, Yes 4G devices, FrogStore vouchers and LiteracyPlanet subscriptions for every student in the winning schools made the Grand Finals a thrilling event.

In a short two months, the ’Word Mania Challenge’ saw 1,618,550 games played nationwide, 35,000,000 words spelled, 2,760 supportive teachers, 70,000 student participants and 2,000 schools involved.The champions were announced at the Grand Finals back on 27th March 2014 and prizes were given out by the Deputy Minister of Education II, Y.B. Tuan P. Kalamanathan at the awards ceremony. The competition was held at the Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

All of this was achieved with only minimal publicity through social media, demonstrating the power of the Internet to make learning content such as the Word Mania game go viral.Online competitions such as the ‘Word Mania Challenge’ can positively complement educational initiatives. It is evident from this Challenge that online learning can significantly impact the language learning experience of students.Malaysia is the first country in the world to bring its entire education community together on a single converged platform designed specifically to meet the needs of teaching and learning. Through the 1BestariNet project, students have access to a personalised learning experience regardless of their levels of learning. Certainly, Malaysia stands out as a model of Internet education for the world.

A fine example of how the ‘Word Mania Challenge’ has changed students’ perception of learning English is the story of Muhammad Qasri Hakim Bin Hj Khairul Anwar from SMK Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur. Coming from a single-parent family with limited Internet connectivity at home, he stayed back after school for hours, and at times resorted to borrowing a Yes 4G Dongle from his teacher,Puan Nadila Mohd Yusoff,to play the Challenge at home. “I never thought that learning English could be so fun and exciting. The interactive activities made me want to learn more everyday. I was determined to make a name for myself and my school by joining this Challenge.

Now, seeing this, I think that my son could benefit and be inspired by it too as he doesn’t really absorb the traditional and boring way of teaching well. This should be able to hold his interest in learning, I think. I have all the facilities and resources, and I definitely wouldn’t mind letting my child try it. If you’re one of those parents who would like your child to have fun while learning instead of just stare at the boring old whiteboard and memorize stuff, you might want to look up  www.frogasia.com/wordmania. Who knows, your child can benefit from it? We’ll never know til we try.

 

Cleffairy: My child thrive once I stopped teaching him the ‘normal’ way as advised by ‘expert parents’.

 

PicsArt, Professional Photography Made Easy

I think I mentioned quite a few times before that my son is an autistic child who is verbally challenged and I’m constantly on a lookout on how to improve his way of communicating and the way he express himself. One of the activities that he loves to do to express himself is taking photos by using the camera and smartphone.

As time goes by, I come to realize that he has taken loads of beautiful pictures and I did nothing to really showcase and exhibit them. I thought that perhaps, editing the photos that he took and sharing them on social media would indirectly give him a moral boost  and positive encouragements to express himself more.

Problem: I’m a certified Photoshop idiot, and have no idea on how to work on editing photos to make them look nicer and much more presentable than it is already is.

But lucky me, these days you don’t have to know how to actually use complicated software like Photoshop to edit your pictures. Instead of struggling with Photoshop, you can simply download a mobile apps like PicsArt and work wonders on raw images.

PicsArt is a mobile apps and is available for free for smartphones that is running on iOS and Android. To download and use the apps, simply go to Playstore or Appstore, search for ‘PicsArt’ , install, download and open up the apps. Login with your Facebook account or G+ account, and you’re ready to rock and roll.

The apps is fairly comprehensive and pretty easy to use and navigate. Even my son is using it to make artworks out of the photos that he has taken with PicsArt now.

With PicsArt, you not only can edit the pictures and fix up some flaws, but you can make collage out of the photos in your smartphone gallery too.

Apart from that, there’s plenty of frames, themes, cute stickers and background for you to use with your pictures.

Sample artwork done by using PicsArt.

In-apps store is available should you wish to purchase more themes, frames, background and function. Sharing photos via various social media is easy with PicsArt too, making this apps my current favourite picture editing tool.

There is plenty types of PicsArt app for you to pick from;some are even specifically created for children to use, so if you are like me and wants your kids to make some sort of arts with their pictures and whatnot, you might want to give this apps a shot. I loved it and perhaps you’ll love it too.