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Mitsubishi Electric L4 Grande – Large French Door Refrigerator
Apr 8th
I don’t usually attend product events but when I do, it is because I hold genuine interest in the product. I am actually planning to get a new refrigerator soon so when Mitsubishi Electric invited me as one of the bloggers for their L4 Grande event, I thought, why not? But before we dive into the nitty-gritty specifications of the L4 Grande, just know that it is a large and luxurious French door refrigerator designed to meet the needs of the modern consumers. These needs are answered with the five main features of the L4 Grande – Big Capacity, Easy to Use, Tasty & Healthy, Energy Efficiency and Luxury Design.
For the unitiated, sporting a French door means that the fridge is not separated by a middle mullion or frame. I did not know about this until it was explained during the product briefing. Anyway, this design serves more than just being pretty and all, as there is more than meets the eye.
Besides being a stylish innovation, the main advantage of French door is its practicality providing more spacious compartments. The conventional fridge would have difficulty in storing wide items like long trays and platters but you will be unlikely to face this problem if you have a French door style refrigerator. The handle’s design is well thought of too – the space between the handle and the door is about 3cm wide and should be more than enough for the average person to have a comfortable grip.
Be A Star Maybank2u Star
Dec 10th
As the largest bank in Malaysia with the largest network of ATM’s nationwide, Maybank has been part of my life as my main banking institution. There is nothing more convenient than having my salary from my employer to be credited to Maybank, then withdraw it at the petrol station just outside my house.
Besides, their online banking service Maybank2u has helped to make my life easier by eliminating the need to queue at counters just to pay for my bills. With one click, I could settle all my bills within minutes and at the comfort of my home – even in my pyjamas! And since I travel through and flow Penang and KL quite frequently, a credit card is very handy for me to book my tickets, may it be a flight, bus or train. But I have experienced when the credit card’s network goes down, or when my payment was rejected for unknown reasons. At urgent times like these, Maybank2u is definitely a handy tool to have.
If you don’t know yet, Maybank2u is having a ‘Be a Maybank2u Star’ contest that started from 1 November 2012. You have time until 31 December 2012 to enter the contest for a chance to win cash prizes (1st RM5000, 2nd RM3000, 3rd RM1000) plus FB credits upon submitting your entry. Sounds good? Then check out the contest link at http://www.maybank2u.com.my/savemem2u
To enter the contest, firstly you will need to be a Maybank2u user. If you have already fulfilled that very basic requirement, you just need to upload a photo of yourself and fill in the texts that will appear in the ad, as shown in the screen above. Local slang and ‘Manglish’ are allowed as long as the submitted entries are constructed predominantly in the English language. I think it is quite good-loh, since this is a contest for Malaysians-mah.
Need ideas? Well, it could be a day when you have forgotten to book a movie for your upcoming date and you got it saved via Maybank2u’s instant movie booking online. In this case, your entry would look like the entry above. Seems easy enough right? Well, it is. You just need to think of any situations that you have used Maybank2u to make your life easy, and that very well could be your winning entry!
And here’s yet another idea for you. Taking the credit card experience I mentioned earlier, I managed to turn it the ad above with ease. I think the key is relate the ad as close to your daily life as possible and you shall have no problem coming up with a winning-worthy ad of your own.
So what are you waiting for? Let your creativity juices flow like teh tarik and submit your entry to this simple and easy contest. Good luck and have fun!
The cross-cultural ingredients that make delightful Malaysian food
Nov 6th
One of the joys of visiting Malaysia is taking in the mix of cultural influences that has shaped the country. Colourful Hindu shrines, mosques and Chinese temples jostle for our attention in the space of just a few hundred metres and these influences have helped to create some truly delightful cuisines that are unique to Malaysia.
Here is an overview of the three main Malaysian cuisines but to really understand them you just have to try them. There are some classic dishes described and some recommendations for the best places to try them but if you follow your nose, keep your eyes peeled for restaurant vouchers and your ears open for where the locals are heading then you should not go far wrong.
Classic Malay cuisine
Aromatic blends of chilli, lemon grass, pandan leaves, daun kesum (laksa leaf), turmeric and bunga kantan (wild ginger) are just some of the spices ground up and sautéed to create the mouth-watering rempahs (spice pastes) that form the basis of many Malay dishes.
Look out for ayam goreng kunyit (deep fried chicken marinated in a base of turmeric and other spices), ikan asam pedas (fish stew flavoured with tamarind, chili, tomatoes, okra and daun kesum), rendang (a spicy meat stew – originating from Indonesia), curry laksa (a coconut-based curry sauce) and sambal sotong (squid cooked in a sambal-based sauce made from chillies, shallots, garlic, stewed tomatoes, tamarind paste and a shrimp paste known as belacan).
- Where to try Malay cuisine:
- Di Atas Sungai (Penang)
- Ibunda (KL)
- Kafe Bawang Merah (Selangor)
Mamak cuisine
The large ethnic Indian population in Malaysia means there are subtle twists on classic Indian dishes that have appeared throughout the country. Whilst South Indian dishes abound so do those that are the result of Indian Muslims adapting their dishes to local surroundings and these are known as Mamak cuisine.
A great culinary experience can be had at buffet-style Mamak eateries called nasi kandar which adopt the Indonesian nasi padang concept of charging you for only what you have eaten. You can expect fluffy white rice, a variety of succulent, spicy curries and a selection of breads, papadums and pickles.
- Where to try Mamak cuisine:
- Haji Shariff Cendol (Negeri Sembilan)
- Madam Kwan Midvalley Megamall (KL)
- Restoran SS2 Murni (Selangor)
Presto – The Fresh Supermarket @ Citta Mall, Ara Damansara
Oct 26th
Last weekend we were at Citta Mall for breakfast and noticed a new supermarket called Presto. Since it was quite a heavy breakfast we thought why not take a stroll through the supermarket to see what it has to offer. The supermarket’s layout is well presented, looks clean and tidy with a welcoming atmosphere.
The usual groceries, personal care and household items could be found here but Presto strongly focus on imported products like fruits, vegetables, snacks and beverages – especially the last two. So this is a small haven for adventurous food lovers (like me) looking to try new brands that the usual chain supermarkets don’t carry. As for me, I am always on the hunt for new instant noodle flavors.
Presto’s tagline is ‘The Fresh Supermarket’ and this is clearly portrayed as the fruits and vegetable section greet customers as soon as they walk in. I like how the names of the different sections are displayed with big and bold letters, makes it easy to find what you want.
