Cleffairy's Blog, page 91

World Tourism Conference, Penang 2016

Penang, ranked 4th in Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities list for Best in Travel 2016, will be the fourth state in Malaysia to host the World Tourism Conference 2016 (WTC 2016) from 17 to 19 October 2016 after Melaka (2013), Kota Kinabalu (2010) and Kuala Lumpur (2007). Listed as the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2008, George Town in Penang was aptly chosen as the venue for WTC 2016. This capital city of Penang pulsates with life and receives many visitors from all over the world who wish to experience its unique architectural and cultural townscape, which is without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia. It also offers everything for a successful meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition. There is no shortage of quality hotels and holiday resorts in Penang either, allowing participants the convenience of staying in the same location as the conference. Penang as a whole is a compact island, just under 300 kilometers square, which makes the island such an attractive destination as it is easy to get from one place to another. Year-round sunshine makes Penang a favourite location to combine social events or outdoor activities with a conference or business meeting. This diverse island offers something for everyone, be it cultural heritage, natural environment or man-made entertainments.

Among the latest attractions in Penang include: 

The Skyway on Penang Hill, a newly-built observation deck that enhances the hilltop forest experience.

Entopia (formerly known as the Penang Butterfly Farm), which will become the world’s first butterfly, dragonfly and firefly sanctuary park when it is fully completed in 2018. Its phase one which consists of the butterfly and dragonfly sanctuary as well as an indoor invertebrates discovery centre has been open to public since May 2016.

The Habitat in Penang Hill, which provides a wide range attractions to explore like the Nature Trail, Canopy Walk, Tree Top Walk, Red Garden, Butterfly Bank, Yellow Garden etc.

Visitors can move around in Penang easily by using its Hop On Hop Off bus, which is equipped with Wi-Fi on board, sky view and open deck, disabled-friendly facilities and routes that cover 50 major attractions, where passengers are welcome to explore with a choice of 24-hour and 48hour tickets, or they can hop on Rapid Penang CAT, which is a free shuttle bus service that ply the streets of George Town. WTC 2016 is expected to bring together world leaders in tourism, high-level policy makers, specialists and experts from the public and private sectors, academicians and media representatives to exchange ideas and knowledge as well as share experiences to enhance tourism development further. The conference is exclusively organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Registration fee is not required for those who are interested to participate in the conference.

For further information and registration, please visit the conference’s official website at http://www.wtc2016malaysia.com. Any enquiries can be addressed to the Secretariat via email at wtc2016@motac.gov.my.

Tribute to 4 Heavenly Kings Live in Resorts World Genting

Photographer: Adam Lau

I was born in the 80s and were raised in the 90s. While that era might not be as interesting, superbly fast paced or terribly hi-tech like the era we are living now, it was certainly the most interesting time to grow up in. Back then, it was safe to play outside without strict parental supervisions and not to mention that era also produced a lot of talented artists whose talents are considered legendary by their fans. I could still remember during my growing up years where I had crushes on singers and boy bands and would listen to their songs on radios on walkman over and over again without feeling bored.

One of my addiction during my growing up years were the Four Heavenly Kings; the notable “gifts” from the renaissance of Hong Kong entertainment industry, i.e. the 1980s and 1990s, were the four biggest Chinese male superstars constantly graced their fans with memorable songs and superb unforgettable performances. They were Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai. Apart from singing and performing on stage, these talented artists are also revered for their appearance on the silver screen to this very day as well.

While Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai have been taking somewhat a backseat in the entertainment industry these days in favour of a more quiet personal life,Wah D, Ken, Andy Wah and Leon Li — entertainers who have won acclaim for impersonating the four personalities are more than happy to brings us down the memory lane and help fans relive the heydays of the Four Heavenly Kings.

I’ve had the privileged to watch them perform with my family during my most recent visit to Resorts World Genting and thought that these four young men aren’t just the Four Heavenly Kings impersonators. They are talented entertainers in their own rights too. The four have won awards at the MCOMEI 2014 Fashion Festival and other competitions featuring impersonators. Beyond Hong Kong and Macau, the quartet has performed at Harrah’s Reno in the US and currently will be mesmerizing audiences in Resorts World Genting, Malaysia throughout August and September 2016. So, if you are a fan of the Four Heavenly Kings and missed their presence, it would be a good idea to pay them a visit uphill in Resorts World Genting and watch them perform in Tribute to 4 Heavenly Kings performance.

Tribute to 4 Heavenly Kings in Genting International Showroom

The Four Heavenly Kings look-alikes —Leon Li as Leon Lai, Ken as Aaron Kwok, Andy Wah as Andy Lau and Wah D as Jacky Cheung— at Resorts World Genting during The Tribute to The Four Heavenly Kings performance. All four were dressed in pilot uniforms exactly like the real Heavenly Kings complete with authentic singing, dance moves and mannerisms. Some songs that were performed were classic songs like Andy Lau’s ‘Yat Hei Zau Go Dek Yat Ji‘, Aaron Kwok’s Dui Ni Ai Bu Wan, Leon Lai’s Jin Ye Ni Hui Bu Hui Lai, and Jacky Cheung’s Er Lang Chuan Shuo.

Wah D performing. Wah D is a Hakka Chinese pop music pioneer and has won a number of awards for his work in impersonating Jacky Cheung.

In 2000, he was the champion in the Beijing TV Jacky Cheung impersonating competition, and in 2004, he won a similar competition for Hong Kong’s TVB.

Ken has also won several awards. In 2008, he was invited by HBS to perform at a Christmas concert and in 2011, he won yet another competition for being the “strongest vocal imitator.”

He delivered an energetic and sensational performance during Tribute to 4 Heavenly Kings that night and got the fangirls screaming for more.

Andy Wah on the other hand has performed alongside with Andy Lau, in the superstar’s World Tour concert a number of times.

Fans can easily imagine him as the real thing; something he has done successfully over the years in various places including Indonesia, Macau, Shenzhen, Fuzhou and Hong Kong.

Last but not least, Leon Li. He has also won several awards for his impersonating efforts and has since 2007 performed with Wah D, Ken and Andy Wah in various concerts.

He was Leon Lai’s substitute in the movie, One Night Surprise.

Watching them perform that night really brought us down the memory lane and it felt as if the real Four Kings were performaning that night. It was simply fantastic and if you are looking for something worth watching this mid-autumn festival, this is it.

Tribute To 4 Heavenly Kings will be ongoing from Aug 20 to Sept 9 (except Aug 23 & 30 and Sept 6) at 9pm at Genting International Showroom, Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands, Pahang. Tickets are priced at RM129 and RM99. For more information on Tribute to 4 Heavenly Kings, please call 03-2718 1118 or visit www.rwgenting.com

Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival 2016 in Resorts World Genting

Mid-autumn festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. It’s also known as the Mooncake Festival because a special kind of sweet cake prepared in the shape of the moon and filled with sesame seeds, ground lotus seeds and duck eggs is served as a traditional Mid-autumn festival delicacy.

Nobody actually knows when the custom of eating moon cake to celebrate the mid-autumn festival began, but there are traces of it back in 14th century. At that time, China was in revolt against the Mongols. Chu Yuen-chang, and his senior deputy, Liu Po-wen, discussed battle plan and develops a secret mooncake strategy to take a certain walled city held by the Mongol enemy. Liu dressed up as a Taoist priest and entered the besieged city bearing mooncake.

He distributed these to the city’s populace. When the time for the year’s mid-autumn festival arrived, people opened their cakes and found hidden messages advising them to coordinate their uprising with the troops outside. Thus, the emperor-to-be ingeniously took the city and his throne.

Mooncake of course, became even more famous. And so, every year people eat moon cake and enjoy the harvest moon with their family to celebrate the victory over the Mongols. This is one of the story on mid-autumn festival that I’m familiar with but my favourite tale on how Mid-Autumn festival originates have to be the tale between Hou Yi and Chang Er.

This tale on Hou Yi and Chang Er may differ from the ones you have heard, as they are so many versions told from one generation to another.

The one I’m more familiar with is this one. Once upon a time, there live two immortals in the Heaven, they are Hou Yi and Chang Er. Hou yi and Chang Er were lovers who goes through great obstacle before their love is approved by the Heaven.

The Heaven was ruled by the Jade Emperor and his Empress. One day, ten sons of Jade emperor accidentally transformed into the sun, and revolves around the earth playfully, causing great drought and suffering to the mortals below.

Worried and concern for the mortals, the Jade emperor summons the imperial archer, Hou Yi to help him solve the problem. Hou Yi then went to Earth and shot down nine of the Jade Emperor’s sons. The emperor had thought that Hou Yi would not harm any of his sons. Now that his sons are dead, the emperor was very furious. In anger, the emperor took away Hou Yi and his wife’s immortality and condemn them to live on Earth forever.

Chang Er was grief stricken with her loss of immortality. Hou Yi could not bear to see his saddened wife, and so, he decided to steal the immortality pill from the heavenly medicine manufacturer so that both of their immortality could be restored. He manage to steal the pill from heaven, and brought it to Chang Er. He told her that they only need to take half of the pills to regain immortality.

In the meantime, the Jade Emperor found out about the stolen immortality pill, and command an imperial guard to retrieve the pills and catch both Hou Yi and Chang Er so that he could punish them for their misdeed.

And so, the imperial guard went down to earth in pursuit of the couple and the pill of immortality. But the guard himself was tempted by the idea of immortality. So he waited until Hou Yi is not at home, and attacked Chang Er who is defenseless at home. He demanded for the pill but Chang Er refused to hand it to him. Hou Yi, who seems to forget his arrows went back home to get it and discovered that his wife is in danger. He fought the imperial guard courageously.

Unfortunately, Hou Yi is an archer, not a fighter. He was stabbed right in his heart in front of Chang Er. Chang Er was grief stricken, and wishes to die with her husband too. However, Hou Yi’s dying wish was for Chang Er to regain her immortality and live happily for all eternity.

So, Chang Er took out the pill from her sleeves and swallowed the whole pill so that the guard would not be able to get it and obtain immortality. Right after swallowing the pill, Chang Er started to float towards the sky, and after flying for some time, she landed on the moon. She cried and grieve for her husband’s death.

Her cries was heard by a group of Jade Bunnies that lives on the moon. They went to her and listened to her story. These Jade Bunnies were captivated by Chang Er’s beauty and kindness towards them, so they built a palace for her to stay, knowing that she could never return to Heaven or Earth. They hailed her as their goddess and pledge allegiance to her. These bunnies can be seen pounding on the face of the moon on some cooking utensil.

It is believed that these Jade Bunnies are trying to make resurrection pills so that they could revive their Goddess’s love. It’s said that the resurrection pills is shaped like a mooncake. But it’s not dictate anywhere on whether Hou Yi was revived or not, but in many folklore, it’s told that Chang Er would bestow blessing of love and happiness to lovers who pray hard and sincere enough to the moon during mid-autumn.

According to my husband, however, there’s only one Jade Bunny on the moon, and it’s actually the reincarnation of Chang Er’s husband. He told me that the Jade Empress took pity on the couple, and so reincarnate Hou Yi as a Jade Bunny so that Chang Er will not be lonely on the moon. That explains why Chang Er can always be seen with a bunny everywhere she goes on the moon.

On his explanation to me on why the Jade Bunny is depicted as a creature that’s always pounding on the face of the moon, he said that the bunny is actually chopping a tree which is supposed to be indestructible. Only when he manage to chop down the tree, he will turn back into his original form, and only then, he and Chang Er would be forgiven by the heavenly beings and would be allowed to return to Heaven.

The story of Chang Er and Hou Yi touched many hearts, and with time, people started to celebrate mid-autumn festival by gathering their family and enjoy the sight of the harvest moon together over tea and mooncakes along with other delicacies.

People usually bake mooncake and eat it in hope that Chang Er would bless their mooncake and they would lead a happy life with their loved ones. The mid-autumn festival celebration is also a symbol of appreciation and gratefulness on what they have in life.

Mid-Autumn festival is the time for togetherness, and if you are looking for some blessings and a refreshing break this upcoming mid-autumn festival, why not head over to Resorts World Genting?

There’s beautiful set up at the garden in front of Genting Grand Hotel. Beautiful decorative lanterns are eveeywhere and you can take pictures with your loved ones while enjoying the full moon there. It’s exceptionally captivating, especially when it is all lit up at night.

Apart from the celebratory settings that’s perfect for family togetherness and lovers, Resorts World Genting is also offering delicious mooncakes for your gastronomic pleasure.

I managed to try some during my recent trip to Resorts World Genting and they are just heavenly.

Five mooncakes that I managed to try.

Snow Skin Mango with Pomelo (NEW) – RM17.90

White Lotus Paste with Dried Mandarin Orange Jingsa (NEW) – RM17.90

Sweet corn paste with caramel nuts, cheese jingsa (NEW) – RM17.90

Golden Jade with Lime and Nuts (NEW) – RM17.90

Golden Jade with Buttermilk Custard (NEW) – RM17.90

Apart from the ones that I managed to try, other assorted flavoured mooncakes are available too:

Green Tea Lotus Paste- RM16.90

Durian Lotus Paste – RM16.90

Low-Sugar White Lotus Paste – RM17.90

White Lotus Paste with Black Sesame Yolk – RM17.90

Lotus Paste with Single Yolk – RM17.90

Golden Jade with Single Yolk – RM17.90

Single Yolk with Pu Er Lotus Paste – RM17.90

Blueberry Paste with Single Yolk – RM17.90

Lotus Paste with Double Yolk – RM18.90

Assorted Nuts “Ng Yan” – RM19.90

Kam Tui – RM28.00 (Only available at Genting Palace and Good Friends outlets)

Red Bean Paste – RM14.90

God of Wealth cookies (2 pcs) – RM6.00

These mooncakes can be bought from these restaurants in Resorts World Genting, so keep your eyes peeled for it:

Good Friends

Genting Palace

Resort Hotel Lobby

Hainan Kitchen

Cloud 9 Entrance

OneHub, Wisma Genting

Resorts World Genting is having a mooncake promotion too where

30% discount will be given to purchases of 50 boxes (4 pcs) and above from 1 August to 15 September 2016. Discounts however are not applicable for Money God cookie & Kum Tui.

A free carrier mooncake box will be provided for any purchase of four mooncakes. Non-Woven Bags are priced at RM 2.00 nett each.

All prices are in Ringgit Malaysia and inclusive of 6% GST.

Tempted? Wanna head over to Resorts World Genting for mid-autumn festival but not sure how to go about it or need advice on making bookings and reservations? Well, fret not, just head over to www.rwgenting.com for more information.

Gotta Catch A Good Deal with Tookar

Is the lovely lady catching Pokémon? Well, that not a new species of Pokémon she’s trying to catch, but she’s all hyped up and trying to get a good deal with Tookar instead.

So, what’s Tookar? Good question. Tookar is a newly launched car website. Now, before you navigate away from this article, do stay and read on. Tookar is not your regular online website that merely sell cars, but it is ASEAN’s first online car exchange website that outs back joy into buying cars.

Let’s admit it. We all love cars. We all have the needs for it to increase our mobility, but buying them can be a stressful affair. You got to meet dealers, negotiate the price for the best deals, test driving arrangement etc, but with Tookar, you don’t have to go through all that. Well, at least you don’t have to spend stressful time looking for a deal that suits your budget.

With Tookar, buyers are able to name their price, or specifically request for discounts (off the standard list price) for a specific car model. Similarly, sellers from multiple authorised car dealership may also offer their discounts on Tookar. One of the key advantages of this platform is that it allows buyers to negotiate for the best price deals with all the dealers simultaneously. Once the buyer and seller agree on a price, a match is made using Tookar’s two way auction paradigm; similar to that used in the stock exchange, and the deal is sealed with an online deposit and signing of the VSO (Vehicle Sale Order). The seller then prepares the var according to specifications and deliver it to the buyer’s doorstep. The entire process is convenient, efficient, time saving and stress-free for both parties. Great, isn’t it?

Wait, there’s more. To commemorate the official launch and in conjunction of Merdeka Day, Tookar is celebrating it by offering RM300 worth of Lazada cash vouchers to customers using Tookar services from 22 August to 16 September 2016. Vouchers will be provided upon delivery of their chosen cars.

Wanna buy a car? Well, purchase your dream car that’s within your budget on www.tookar.my.

Sungei Wang Plaza Lantern Festival 2016

It’s mid-Autumn and it’s time for togetherness again at Sungei Wang Plaza as they are all geared up for the Mid-Autumn festival this year.

Bazaar selling mooncakes, colourful lanterns and traditional clothes aplenty.

The centre stage has been transformed into a beautiful Chinese garden.

Aiming to bring back their shoppers back in time; Sungei Wang Plaza had the mall beautifully decorated with 8 life sized famous Chinese opera characters lanterns that’s jointly installed with Magnum 4D.

Giant wishing lantern at the core of the mall, signifying auspicious togetherness and prosperity.

During the olden times, people would go and watch opera shows on stage and appreciate the colourful lanterns displayed everywhere during the Mid-Autumn Festival but here at Sungei Wang Plaza, it will be more than just traditional dance, lion dance and stage stage performances. Sungei Wang Plaza will be hosting interactive workshops where shoppers can learn how to make their own mooncakes and learn how to sculpt rabbit balloons. There will also be lantern parade where 500 paper lanterns sponsored by Mr.DIY will be given away to shoppers so that they could join the cheer. And to add on to the festive cheer, 50 lucky shoppers will also have the opportunity to walk away with free hotel stays at Resorts World Genting.

So, what are you waiting for? Head over to Sungei Wang Plaza for all kinds of everything during the festive season.

For more information about the ongoing events and promotions at Sungei Wang Plaza, head over to http://sungeiwang.com or http://fb.com/sungeiwangplaza

Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with Organic Sugar Free Mooncakes

Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest festival celebrated by Chinese that is closely tied to gathering, thanksgiving and praying. Mooncakes is one of the must eat Mid-Autumn treat. Typically, a mooncake contains high sugar and fats, whicb is not suitable for people with high blood pressure and diabetes.

BMS Organics understands that everyone loves mooncake. Hence, in order to let everyone enjoys mooncake in a healthier condition, BMS Organics is introducing SUGAR FREE mooncakes that are freshly made from the finest ingredients which will give you a hint of intensity and a delightful texture.

Natural isomalt is used to substitute normal sugar in BMS Organics mooncakes. This smooth-sweet love affair is recommended for people with high blood pressure and diabetes. Besides, all ingredients are 100% organic. For example, plain flour is free from bleaching and additives, produced through traditional style stone milling process which helps immensely in reducing the loss of cereals enzymes and nutrients.

These six choices of organic sugar free mooncakes include three unique flavours: Pink Lady 10 Grain Beetroot, Bamboo Charcoal Black Sesame and Green Balance Macha Red Bean; and three classic flavours: Pure Lotus, Pure Lotus with Yolk and Mixed Nuts Delight.

1. Pink Lady 10 Grain Beetroot

10 Grain Beetroot is great for replenishing blood for women. The combination of oat milk and lotus seed paste fillings, coupled with the natural colouring of outer layer that sourced from beetroot juice. This natural and pinkish gem will surely be your ticket to happiness.

2. Bamboo Charcoal Black Sesame

Aroma-rich black sesame is packed with calcium, vitamins and trace minerals. Its black outer layer is craftily made from bamboo charcoal. Greater taste and healthier digestive system are no longer a dream.

3. Green Balance Macha Red Bean

The healthy aromas of green tea and wheat grass are value even more. The perfect combination of green and red colours, whereby the red beans offers gentle sweetness and smoothness to the palate, while the natural green tea powder made up the exterior. This nutritious blend is widely known to aid in body detoxification.

4. Pure Lotus

Uses only the best quality ingredients such as high-quality lotus seeds that bring you the best blend of healthy and great taste.

5. Pure Lotus with Yolk

The salted aromatic egg yolk fused splendidly with a classic sweet pure lotus seed paste makes this mooncake taste even superior.

BMS Organics isn’t only putting much effort on making healthier mooncakes, they also come out with a unique makeover of the traditional mooncake gift box.

The 4-piece mooncake lantern mooncake gift box can be used as a lantern after you unpack it. On the other hand, the 2-piece mooncake gift box contains two pieces of mooncake and a can of organic green tea. The packaging is elegant; definitely suitable to gift your family and friends.

Starting from August 1, 2016, public can purchase these organic sugar free mooncakes at any BMS Organics Outlets. 4-piece lantern mooncake gift box is priced at RM107.60, while the 2-piece mooncake and organic green tea gift set is priced at RM63.

** BMS Organics member or credit card holder of either Citibank, Public Bank or Aeon, you are entitled to:

1.RM10 BMS Organics Vegetarian Café cash voucher with every purchase of a 4-piece mooncake lantern gift box, and 20% discount for the second box.

2. RM5 BMS Organics Vegetarian Café cash voucher with every purchase of a 2-piece mooncake gift box, and 20% discount for the second box.

If you couldn’t buy it at BMS Organics outlet or you would like to send a mooncake gift set to home, purchase it online. BMS Organics will send it to your doorstep (Free delivery only applicable for West Malaysia).

**Insert the promo code “BMSO2UMC” to get 10% rebate.

For more information, please logon www.bmsorganics.com

Fall in Love Again with Anchor Say Cheese

My husband and I have been together for 14 years. Heading steadily to our 15th years next year in May on his birthday, I’m still very much in love with him, against all odds. He is my first love. I met my boyfriend, now husband for the very first time when I was in college. He was 19 and I was just 17. He was my senior and was quite a rascal in his youth. My first impression on him was not really good. It was definitely not a love at first sight. Rather, it was annoyance at first sight. He was sitting with his friends outside of the hostel compound where I resided with his friends and cooking up a ruckus with their guitars. I was studying and being a bookworm, the act itself irritate me to death. Finding it too intolerable, I went to give him and his friends a piece of my mind. But fate have other plans for us. Fast forward two years later, we got married and became parents.

Being young parents was never easy. It is really tough, especially when you are on your own and still studying at that. We had to juggle between our family life and our studies. I wouldn’t say that our marriage is perfect but we practically grew up with each other. And if I could turn back back time, I would not have it any other way.

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person, over and over again. We may not have much time as we had before during the early years of marriage as we’re both busy with our career, but my husband and I made a point to not stop dating and make time for each other.

Our favourite pastime is traveling, photography shooting and cafe hopping and indulging in good coffees and teas, and of course sweets and desserts.

Speaking of cafe hopping and having sweets and desserts, Fronterra Food Services has recently launched the second phase of its successful Anchor Say Cheese Campaign in Melaka where they aimed to connect loved ones with their sensational dessert. And so, being a hopeless romantic and feeling that we are up to some gastronomic adventure, we decided to check travel south and check it out.

Anchor Say Cheese campaign features an exclusive assortment of Anchor-branded desserts, the first of its kind in the market. Pastry lovers like us can now expect a new range of Anchor Say Cheese Chef’s Signature series desserts, made from the finest Anchor range of products at selected bakeries across the nation.

Together with its selected bakery partners, Fronterra Foodservices continues to delight foodies with limited edition desserts created by Fronterra’s own in-house patisserie chefs using top quality real butter, cream cheese, milk and cream from popular Anchor range of products aimed not only to indulge pastry lovers but to help foodies connect with their loved ones as well through enjoying dacadent dessert offerings.

Anchor Say Cheese Whips Up Indulgent Sweet Treats at Local Bakeries

Speaking at the launch of Anchor Say Cheese in Yeast Pastry House, Melaka last weekend is Mr. Chua, a representative from Fronterra Foodservices and Mr.Poh, owner and Head Chef of Yeast Pastry House. According to Mr. Chua, each bakery partners will whip up the delectable Anchor branded desserts using the original recipes. Trainings are provided by Fonterra’s patisserie chefs, with a slight tweak to suit the unique preferences of respective bakeries’ customers.

While the first phase of Anchor Say Cheese campaign introduces delectable Japanese inspired desserts with generous usage of Anchor Cream Cheese as part of the ingredients, the new selection of desserts featured in the second phase of Anchor Say Cheese campaign offers us a more European inspired delicious cakes and bread. Some of the European themed pastries that’s Anchor Say Cheese Chef’s Signature series that can be found in selected bakeries nationwide: Almond Rosa, Cheeznie, First Love and Lady Marmalade.

Cheeznie, a must have when you can’t decide between a chocolate cake or a cheesecake. The cream cheese is sandwiched between two slices of richly soft chocolate brownie and topped with bits of chopped walnuts. Highly recommemded to go with a cup or coffee or tea.

Almond Rosa, a rich layer of Anchor cream cheese is layered generously between nutty almond butter sponge cake, making it heavenly to the palate.

First Love, guaranteed to give you some sugar rush. First Love is one of the chef’s signature bun with cream cheese in the center. Soft and airy, the bun is sprinkled with brown sugar on top. Fairly a classic pastry that is irresitible for those who loves classic bread offerings with a twist.

Lady Marmalade, something the adventurous would definitely want to sink their teeth on. This bread is infused with orange flavoured cream cheese and topped with candied orange. Sweet and sourish, the bread always warrants for seconds. Highly recommended to be paired with a cup of tea.

My husband and I have tried these delectable desserts and we thought that having them gives us the feeling of the sweetness of falling in love with each other all over again.

These exclusive Anchor’s signature creations are available at selected bakeries throughout the country from now until December 2016. Customers will also receive the limited edition Anchor spoon with every purchase of two boxes of Anchor’s signature desserts. The bread selection is available from RM3.50 onwards while the cake selection is available at RM6.50 onwards per piece. Price varies according to bakeries.

Participating bakeries as listed below, so be sure to check them out.

RT Pastry, Klang Valley

Bread History, Penang

The Baker’s Hut, Seri Manjung

Born&Bread, Ipoh

Patisfrance and Yeast Pastry House, Melaka

Veluxe Cake House, Skudai

Fu Seng Cake House, Muar

Port View Euro Bakery, Kota Kinabalu

Taka Cake House, Kuching

Hot Cross Bun, Miri

Strengthening Malaysia-China Ties Through Tourism

Malaysia’s tourism industry currently ranks as the second largest foreign exchange earner after the export of manufactured goods and as such, Malaysia has targeted to attract more than four million Chinese tourists each year in order to generate more revenue for industry players in Malaysia.

However, the shortage of Mandarin speaking tourist guide have been a plaguing issue here in Malaysia, and realizing how important it is to accomodate the tourists from China, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia has decided to strengthen the diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China further by granting Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) temporary Mandarin-speaking tour guide licences to accommodate the high number of Chinese tourist arrivals.

MITA Press Conference at Renaissance KL

Speaking at the press conference a couple of days ago in Renaissance Kuala Lumpur, MITA president,Mr. Uzaidi Udanis.

According to MITA president Mr. Uzaidi Udanis, MITA is committed to ensure that its members give top-notch service and support to all tourists, especially from China.

Definitely a great news to the tourism industry players in Malaysia and aspiring tourist guides. I for one, is looking forward to be a host in 2017 and welcome more tourists from China and the rest of the world.

Taiwan Welcomes Muslim Travelers in Time for Taiwan Campaign

Taiwan is a small island nation 180km east of China with contemporary cities, hot springs resorts and dramatic mountainous terrain. Taipei, the country’s capital in the north, is known for its busy night markets and street-food vendors, Chinese Imperial art at the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101, a 509m-tall, bamboo-shaped skyscraper with an observation deck.

The island of Taiwan was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before Han Chinese began immigrating to the island in the 17th century.

Taiwan today maintains a stable industrial economy as a result of rapid economic growth and industrialization, and is a destination of choice among tourists and travelers and realizing that, Taiwan Board of Tourism has launched Time for Taiwan campaign recently to encourage Muslim travelers to travel to Taiwan.

While the country enjoys healthy amount of tourists among Chinese dialects speaking travelers, Taiwan has becoming increasingly popular among non-Chinese speaking tourists and also among Muslims.

In the past, it is rather daunting for Muslim to travel in Taiwan as the language used nationwide is pretty much just Mandarin and the food are mostly non-halal. However, Muslim travel to Taiwan is certainly much easier these days as Taiwan has made it a point to accomodate Muslim tourists and travelers.

See the picture? This is Pineapple cookies produced in Taiwan and has a Halal logo on it. Coming from the land of Roasted Pork and Xiao Long Bao, you may be surprised to discover that Taiwan has not one, but two halal certification boards. The Taiwan Halal Integrity Development Association (THID) and the Chinese Muslim Association have both taken up the mantle of Halal watchdog. Though slightly different in their classification, both are fully Halal certified and safe for Muslims to enjoy. The associations also certify food products sold in supermarkets.The Chinese Muslim Association of Taiwan carries a list of Halal or Muslim friendly restaurants on its website, so if you are a Muslim planning to travel to Taiwan, you might want to check it out.

Taiwan boasts a surprising range of halal food options covering cuisines as varied as Chinese, Taiwanese and Indian. Muslim food is easier to find in more cosmopolitan Taipei, which cooks with no pork, lard or alcohol, but do be wary of street food as most are non- Halal.

Thanks to Taiwan’s government’s push to encourage Muslim travel to Taiwan, more hotels are getting their restaurants halal-certified and adding signs of Qiblah in their rooms pointing to Mecca for the convenience of Muslims to observe their daily 5 times prayers.

There isn’t a centralized listing for prayer rooms in Taiwan, but Taipei does have mosques. A full list of mosques in Taiwan can also be found on the Chinese Muslim Association website.The Association also has headquarters in Taipei City that are worth a visit if you’d like to find out more about Islam in Taiwan.

So if you are a Muslim and has fear of the unknown in Taiwan, worry and doubt no more as Taiwan is now a hub for Muslim tourist and is Muslim traveler friendly.

My Selangor Story 2016 An All-Expenses Paid Travel Blog Competition Brought Bloggers From China to Discover Selangor

Following the success of the My Selangor Story 2013, Tourism Selangor has launched another campaign, this time targeting travel enthusiasts from the Republic of China.

“My Selangor Story” is a bloggers event organized by Tourism Selangor, supported by My Horizon Media Sdn. Bhd. to promote Selangor’s rich tourism resources and to enhance knowledge about the culture diversity and activities across the state.

In conjunction with Lotour (lotour.com), one of China’s biggest travel portals, “Lotour 12 Horoscope My Selangor Story” is a unique event in which 12 travel enthusiasts and bloggers from Lotour participated in a 5 days 4 nights Selangor tourism programme, and, subsequently shared their personal experiences from the tour with their fans and readers through their Lotour and social media platform.

My Horizon Media was the organizer and flew contestants from various destinations in China to Malaysia. Summerland Tours and Travel, one of the most credible and reliable Travel Company in the country, sponsored the domestic transportation. During the 5 days 4 nights My Selangor Story Trip, the bloggers explored downtown and the outskirts of Selangor, and managed to catch the 40th Bon Odori Festival, one of the biggest outdoor celebrations in Malaysia.

They had fun in the Sunway Lagoon featuring the world’s first SpongeBob theme park and the new haunted house, and were thrilled to discover that they did not need to travel too far to enjoy the sand and beach, right in the heart of Sunway Lagoon.Later at night, after the coconut steamboat dinner, the bloggers experienced some of the high fashion nightlife at The Roof in Bandar Utama, sipping cocktails in the rooftop garden with a view of the Twin Towers and KL Tower.

Apart from the luxury and vibrant city life, they also discovered the untouched nature of Selangor. They were lucky to catch the last ship to the mystery beach near Sasaran, the Sky Mirror, a relatively new and undiscovered beach in the middle of the sea which only appears twice per month. Later, they ventured to Pulau Angsa for oyster hunting and set off to discover the beauty of Sekinchan while soaking in the beautiful sunset by the beach; the day ended with a memorable trip in the sampan along the river in Kampung Kuantan surrounded by the twinkling of fireflies.

The fun didn’t end there; before they were sent to the breezy Genting Highland, the bloggers took their time to explore the world’s first Fashion Forest, learning how a lush green indigenous forest can cooperate with high technology and fashion.

Fashion Forest, Resorts World Genting is a forest thst incooperates with high technology and fashion.

Later, they made their way up to the highland via the skyway while enjoying the magnificent view from the gondola. Upon arrival, many were mesmerized by the neon lights and buzzing nightlife of the entertainment world at Genting Highland.

The trip would not be perfect without experiencing the local culture and food, and the bloggers had a durian feast in SS2, tasted Bak Kut Teh in Klang, visited the most beautiful Hindu Temple in Malaysia, Batu Caves, and tried banana leaf rice.

Experiencing Banana Leaf Rice

Indulging in durians, the revered King of Fruits

Before departing to the airport, the bloggers had the opportunity to visit the latest outlet near the airport, Mitsui Outlet Park for shopping. They also had the privilege of lounging in the KLIA2 Plaza Premium Lounge after enjoying a good quality lunch time in the Green Market, courtesy of Plaza Premium Lounge.

This unique travel campaign, which combined the vibrant city life, branded shopping destinations, eco-friendly tours and colourful culture, aimed to promote Selangor as an International travel destination, and raise the brand awareness for Tourism Selangor and all the generous sponsors who supported this event.

To read their stories about Discovering Selangor, please visit: http://www.lotour.com/dms/Selangor/st...