Welcoming 2019 With 4 Productivity Hacks

Time is truly relative and the year that passed happened in a quick wink. Now that the fireworks have died down and the festive season is over, real life beckons and I’m once again looking at the year to come and wondering how best to make each day count.

In my Christmas Eve outfit from Love Knot Label which I’m pretty happy about as I won it through an Instagram giveaway.

When we look at the numbers, you and I are given the same hours in a day as anyone else. To put it simply, whether we do more or less than the other person ultimately boils down to productivity and efficiency, which is why I’ve put together this list on some productivity hacks that I’d like to practice more of in 2019.

I’ve seen so many lists floating around on the internet claiming to give the “best productivity tricks” or “top efficiency tools”, but some of them spout things like “drink more coffee”, “be brave to say no” or “sit near natural light”!?!?!? If being more productive means turning down things I want to do or simply caffeinating myself, I don’t think that’s making the ‘best of your time’. Another gripe I had with the lists online which try to tell us about “productivity” is that so many of them are trying to bring back the ’old ways’ of being productive. Haven’t we heard enough about how our productivity is ruined because of the time we spend on our phones? I think the favourite productivity tip at the moment is for everyone to cut down on screen time. In my view, if you’re going to be unproductive on your phone, the likelihood is, you’re going to be unproductive without it too. But enough of throwing shade at everyone else’s suggestion.

Since I want to sleep for about 6 - 8 hours a day, that leaves me about 16 hours to use in a day. How then do I make the best of those hours?

1. Procrastinate well

I’ve been on this 3 minute rule for about 6 years now and I swear by it. If something takes less than 3 minutes to do, do it immediately. I’m no stranger to the world of procrastination, and have put aside so many things I actually want to do because I simply don’t feel like it. These can range from things like a book I’ve been meaning to read, to small things such as trash I want to throw away. But for the coming year, for tasks that take under 3 minutes, these aren’t allowed to fall within the category of “things I procrastinate”.

What that means is that rather make a mental note to reply an email/Whatsapp later, if I know it’ll just be a quick message, I do it immediately. If I have to put something away after I’ve used it, I don’t tell myself “I’ll do it later”.

If I am procrastinating something that takes longer than 3 minutes (such as blog post writing or cleaning my room), I have to procrastinate with something that I want to do anyway. So instead of delaying the inevitable by scrolling through the Facebook timeline with posts I’ve already seen, I’m going to read a book (I have ebooks on my phone), edit pictures, do in-bed exercises (like the one linked below!), or plan my Sunday School classes. The long and short of it is, if I’m not consuming something deliberately and I still insist on procrastinating, I need to do so with something that’s somewhat useful or something that I’d take the time to do on another occasion.

Some other ‘procrastination ideas’ include-

• Shopping for birthday presents for friends/family (even if their birthday is ages away!)
• Clearing out your purse/wallet (receipts to be sorted, random business cards to look through)
• Messaging old friends that you’ve been meaning to catch up with
• Data housekeeping - sort out your hard drive/phone pictures/camera memory cards/desktop

And if I really don’t feel like doing anything else, then I’m allowed to take a nap, because at least going to sleep is good for your body.

2. Use waiting time effectively

Okay, so I’m gonna confess something a little weird that I do. I mean, I think it’s genius, but whenever I share this with my friends or family, they think I’m insane.

I watch TV in the shower.

I prop up my water resistant phone on my toiletries stand and while I’m scrubbing my body or washing my hair, I’m also consuming my “fun content”. Sometimes, I put up Insta stories and just let it scroll past while I shower.

In my mind, I have to shower anyway. As this time is going to be spent somewhere where I don’t have the liberty of using my hands, I’m better off using it to do things that a “productive person” doesn’t always have time to do. And it’s worked really well for me! It helps me not binge watch as there’s only so much time you can spend in the shower, and sometimes, just 15 minutes of some entertaining content is enough to recharge and refresh you. After the shower, I’m in a totally different frame of mind from the work day that passed, which makes it easier for me to take the time to do other things I’m interested in.

You don’t just have to limit this to watching TV. I’ve used shower time to memorise notes (don’t underestimate the value of a glass screen door and some laminated study notes) and practice speeches. You don’t even have to limit this to shower time. There could be elements in your day which cannot be eliminated, but can be paired up with other productive tasks. Whether it’s in the shower, on the toilet, waiting in a traffic jam, standing in a queue for food, or even on the commute on the way to work, it’s always possible to make better use of your ‘waiting’ time.

If commuting in rush hour can make it really difficult to do anything else as you’re very likely to be squashed up against another person of if you’re driving, listening to podcasts can be a great solution for you!

3. Use technology!

With technology, so many things can be done immediately. I used to be one of those who’d say, “I’ll wait till I get home” to get things done, but as long as you’ve equipped your smart phone with adequate tools, there are so many things you can do right away. I’ve ordered food while commuting so it’d arrive when I’m at my destination, typed up draft meeting minutes on my phone on the way back from a meeting (though if you’re extra efficient, you could type during the meeting and edit it on the way back) and Googled mid-conversation instead of dealing with someone’s vague knowledge/recollection of a matter.

What I’m saying is, although there are a couple of things that still require us to be seated at a computer with information laid out before us, there are plenty of other things which we can do on-the-go, thanks to technology.

4. Have a big picture plan

When studying for my A-Levels, I used to draw up boxes on a sheet with my general study goals for the entire month, sort of like a calendar but for a particular event/goal. I did this again in university and when I was studying for the New York Bar Exam. This was super useful for me because I could see where I was at a given time on a goal, how much I had completed, and how much there was left to go. If you’ve fallen behind, it helps you reorganise your plans, so you’ll know when you need to buck up and do more.

But before I could do that, I needed milestones or “small” targets to achieve. When studying, that could be a subject/number of exam papers to go through, and when working, that could include subject matters you’re interested in exploring, or project/task milestones. Or it could just be little things that will help you be the person you want to be. You could plan out wanting to learn/master a language, pick up a sport or develop a skill.

I realised in 2018 that it was very easy to be unproductive when I didn’t have a bigger plan of what I wanted to do. Although, at the back of my mind, I knew that I wanted to blog more, exercise more, or do certain things in relation to other interests, because I didn’t have a plan, whenever I had free time, I would start another TV series or spend hours on the phone, consuming content I wasn’t genuinely interested in. So in 2019, I’m going to have little goals for each month and make it a point to complete them.

I hope the above was helpful. Do let me know if you have other suggestions!

All the best with 2019, friends! May we have a great year ahead!

7 Ideas for Christmas Traditions You Can Easily Adopt

Choosing this photo of me posing with a chair in Celine’s house to start the post because it just exudes welcome to my Christmas-themed home vibes!

Let me start off by first saying I’ve lived through 23 Christmasses, some more memorable than others, which I would approximate to 15 years worth of Christmas memories. My family never quite had a fixed Christmas tradition. I suppose this is because our parents would adjust the celebration based on how old we were and how they could somehow make it a learning lesson for us. There have also been variations over the years purely based on how we feel. Some years, we would wake up in the morning before heading to church to open our gifts. Other years, we would sleep in, head to church, and open presents after lunch.

I’ve always been fascinated by how different families celebrate this season and as us siblings have now grown up and are scattered across different countries, I thought to document the little ways in which we’ve celebrated Christmas, which could maybe perhaps quite possibly become traditions you could start (if you haven’t already!). The ones listed here are pretty easy to replicate, and whether you want to do so with your friends, partner, or family, there's at least one you'll find relevant! 

BTW I also dug through my hard drive for some real-life straight from the archive action, so along with little Instagram plugs, you will also be getting some of that wholesome 2011 goodness in this post!

1. Gifts shopping!

I remember a vague history of being taken to shopping malls as children and being given some money – about RM10 to RM30 – and my parents would take us in turns to pick out presents for our siblings. For years, my sister and I chose Hot Wheels cars for my brother who was obsessed with cars the way young boys can be, and with my parents’ cajoling, we would pick out stationery or colouring books for each other.

My parents always got my brother to pick my sister and me the same thing, or something very similar, so we wouldn’t fight over our gifts LOL. This little exercise taught us the joy of giving, of being able to say “I chose that for you!” and though this tradition has stopped over the years as we grew up enough to buy our own gifts, every time I’m doing my Christmas shopping, I’m brought back to my childhood in Ipoh, mulling hard over what my siblings would like.

A particularly abundant haul in 2013!

2. Santa

Growing up, there was a period of time that Santa was very real to me. I remember staying up with my sister one night in front of the Christmas tree, fighting a battle against sleep to catch Santa in the act. LOL fruitless attempt as I woke up in bed none the wiser. My parents fuelled the fantasy for a while and I remember a year where my dad showed up at night dressed in a Santa costume, complete with white beard, thoroughly confusing me as I was just beginning to overcome my Santa belief.

A belief in Santa is pretty fun when growing up, and I remember years of writing letters to Santa, which our parents would read to find out what presents to get. When I eventually realized the truth, I was grateful to my parents for having made Christmas gifts seem so magical and fun!

I make a pretty decent Santa if I say so myself!

On a semi-related note, I believed in the Tooth Fairy most of my childhood, eventually realising the truth when I woke up one morning, with my mom leaning over me, her hand underneath my pillow. Screams ensued.

3. Gifts opening!

Presents were a joy to give, but were also a joy to receive. Once the illusion of Santa ended, our parents would give us Christmas presents which were geared towards helping us pursue our interests/hobbies. I got a camera the year after I started blogging (I was 10!!), while my brother got an electric guitar when he formed an interest in music. There was one year where my dad gave us all little “quizzes” to solve in order to get to our gift. For instance, he gave me a sling bag and my clue was that I “didn’t need hands to use it”. Last year, he gave me a hand drawn “gift certificate” to redeem for a camera lens.

My mom on the other hand, would be the readiest and earliest with Christmas presents. I reckon by September/October, she’d have the gift in mind. LOL then for the next few months, she’d drop hints about the gift she got. “Tiff, you like this, right?” “Is this something you would wear?” She’d be the one to arrange the gifts nicely under the Christmas tree and ensure all of us have adequate wrapping paper and tape.

One year, my sister made bento boxes with sausages cut into octopus shapes, and eggs made to look like baby chicks (lol in hindsight, that’s rather cruel). She wrapped those up for us to open, which made for a pretty interesting gift.

Straight out of the 2011 photo albums!

Maximum effort Christmas present!

We make it a point to go out and get presents for each other, wrapping them up and leaving them under a tree/bench/wherever to get us all excited as Christmas day approaches! When opening them, we do it in front of each other in turns. For example, my mom would open all her presents first, then my brother, my sister, etc. So it’s an occasion for everyone to see what we all got and gave.

Here’s one from 2013!

4. Extended family Christmas

Christmas celebration would almost always involve the extended family on my dad’s side as well! The night before, we’d have dinner and adjourn to someone’s house. There, the cousins would hang, adults would talk, and at midnight, we’d have some sort of gift exchange on a Daiso budget. The gifts were always randomly exchanged, and at the end of the night, there was always some cousin trying to exchange with the adults a candle for a towel, some soap for sunglasses, etc. Our helpers usually joined in the fun as well which made for an even livelier, bigger event.

For the gift exchange, one of the ways we do it is assign a number to each gift. When we arrive wherever it is, the presents are numbered. We then pull out numbers out of a hat/container and get allocated gifts. For about 5 minutes after that, we can swap gifts with each other to try to get something we like more LOL. One of the "disadvantages” of this system is that you’d occasionally end up with the gift you prepared!

 

Aww, looking back at these pictures, I almost took for granted the times we had for all of us to spend together as family. Now so many of us are based across different countries and starting careers we used to joke around about.

5. Friends-mas!

When I was a student in London, the familiar familial traditions of home were miles away. So we started our own with friends by hosting small parties and having gift exchanges.

Christmas as a student in London was always a fun occasion with friends!

When uploading this picture, my heart gave a little squeeze of longing for the great girls I was friends with at university. Nothing warms the heart quite like love, and the love of friendship can be so very warm.

Since starting work in 2016, we’ve refined further this tradition with friends and there’s a small ongoing tradition with some work girlfriends to have a yearly Christmas party, complete with gifts exchange and dress up! We set an outfit theme every year and use Draw Names which is a website built for Secret Santa/gift exchanges. Participants can join over a link, set a date for the exchange, have the names be randomly drawn up, and even choose wishlists! Since my girlfriends and I have been doing this for a few years now, we already have a group on Draw Names, which remembers who were assigned to each other the year before, and lets us exclude the same two people from drawing each others names, just to keep things interesting.

You don’t always need to be with family to celebrate Christmas and friends could always be great people to foster traditions with. For the past two years, we’ve been celebrating our Christmas parties at someone’s house, but this year, we’ve levelled up a little and booked an AirBnB for our stay!

View this post on Instagram

Christmas came early with these girls! #bnmmcga

A post shared by @ tiffanykml on Dec 9, 2016 at 9:30am PST

Decorated hideous Christmas cookies as an activity on one of the years.


LOL try and guess the 2017 theme! 10 points for your house if you get it right.

6. Matching sweaters

Another more “recent” tradition is one that has been semi-ongoing since 2014, when my boyfriend and I started dating. He bought us Christmas sweaters on our first Christmas together and although it’s too warm to wear them in Malaysia, it is great fun putting the sweaters on for the pictures, just watching how we’ve changed over the years. We managed to keep this up only a couple of years but it’s certainly a cute tradition worth considering!

If you’re living somewhere cold, do it with friends or family! It’s one of those rare occasions where you can match your outfits and have it be somewhat ironic rather than 100% lame.

LDR does mean that it’s pretty tough for us to get recent photos of us both in the sweaters so here’s us poorly photoshopped onto some hideous Christmas jumpers, just so you get an idea of how cute it is lolol.

Also note that my legs have probably never been that skinny, ever.

7. Christmas decorations

I was a little hesitant to include this as a “tradition” as we don’t do this every year, but for most of my life, come December, our good ol’ Christmas tree is set up in a place of honour in our home, covered in ornaments we’ve collected over the years and sparkly tinsel. My mom hangs a wreath on the front door, and our placemats are changed to Christmas-themed ones.

Side note - I actually forgot the word for “tinsel” and Googled “sparkly Christmas string on tree”, which led me to the Wikipedia page on tinsel. Did you know that it’s meant to mimic the effect of ice, hence the sparkly strips?? Well, if you didn’t, here's tiffanykml.com bringing you bits of random trivia which may or may not help you in your next pub quiz! 

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And there you go! Just some of the small ways in which I’ve celebrated Christmas and if you’ve always wanted to but don’t know how, feel free to borrow some of the traditions here and make them your own! Or if you celebrate in your own way, do share them in the comments!

The Entertainer 2019 Launch Party

So one of the questions I get fairly often is how I get invited to some of the parties or launch events that I attend. In some instances, I receive email invitations or The Butterfly Project or Nuffnang connect me to to an event. In this particular situation, because I am such a big fan of the Entertainer app (which I bought on my own and have been using for over 2 years), I got so excited by their party announcements (and opportunities to win lots of prizes - which I looove!) that I just flat-out asked them if I could come!

You don’t ask, you don’t get, I suppose - and luckily for me, I soon received an invitation in my email.

Gotta be honest, I got all starry-eyed at so many rounds of lucky draws!

Seth and I got there on time for the opening speech by Paul Hue, Country Manager of the Entertainer, and found ourselves at the same table with reps from Beard Brothers KL, which was a load of fun, as we bonded over our love for food (of course,our table was the one closest to the buffet spread!), travel and DooIt, a quiz show game that gives you opportunities to win real money (If you’re interested, use my promo code “tiffany” for an extra life in the game!).

My dress is from loveknotlabel

Parties are always good for meeting people, and I even got the chance to meet some old friends and mingle with people I’ve only followed on Instagram! With live music by New Village Music Lab in the background, free flow cocktails and beer in the background, and the great opportunity to win plenty of prizes through the quiz questions they threw in every now and then, I was having a blast!

I mean, I’m super kiasu okay. When they hosted the first quiz round, I was up there front and centre, phone in hand, just in case I needed to Google for answers (that’s allowed!). As you’d know if you were Malaysian, people shy la right at the beginning, so I found myself being the only person who was enthusiastically rushing to the front to give my answers! I ended up winning some vouchers from San Francisco Coffee and two tickets to MCM Cartoon Studio in Johor. I’m not sure when I’d make another trip to Johor, but I have had some yummy coffee thanks to the vouchers. However, as the night progressed and people loosened up enough to join in the quizzes more enthusiastically, the emcee stopped picking me to answer (as I’ve already “had my chance” I suppose hahaha) and I didn’t get the opportunity to win the bigger prizes later on. So moral of the story? Might wanna reign it in a little at the beginning of the quiz fest.

We did not leave empty handed either, with a great goody bag to send us off, stuffed to the brim with vouchers and coupons from the Entertainer’s partners!

I had such a good time and thank you very much to the Entertainer for having us!

What is it?

Ever since I started posting about this app years ago on my Instagram, I’ve gotten lots of questions about it and the value it brings! So to give a proper introduction to the app, the Entertainer is sort of a digital coupon book, which you purchase for the year and it gives you Buy-1-Free-1 discounts for its partner merchants. You’re allocated 3 vouchers per merchant, and once you’ve used those vouchers, you can top them up with “Smiles” which is sort of like a points system they have. You earn smiles by using the deals and it’s pretty easy to rack up enough points to buy back a voucher, if you need to. But because there’s so many places on the app that they’ve partnered with, you always have the option of going somewhere else, which 1) is a good thing because it lets you try new places without breaking the bank and 2) variety is the spice of life, ya’ll!

It’s not just food (although that’s my main use for the app!) but they cover rock climbing at Camp 5, ice skating at Sunway Pyramid, archery, pilot lessons (?!?!), sunset cruises, hotel stays (buy 1 free 1 stays at super luxe hotels), facials, spas and more!

Went here for a date using the app, and HAHA I was wondering why I kept missing my shot. Turns out I close my eyes when I aim!

What about exclusions?

The app’s good to use every day EXCEPT on public holidays and 5pm onwards on the eve of public holidays. That means that if you want to use an offer on Merdeka Day on 31 August, you can use the app at 4pm on 30 August, but not at 5.30pm that same day.

The Buy-1-Free-1 deals don’t always cover set menus, and often you’ll end up only being able to order from the Ala Carte menu if you want to use the app. They’ll set it out pretty clearly in the app itself, and you can always read the terms and conditions for more information!

One offer only works for 2 people. So, if you’re going out to eat alone and hoping to tapao the other meal home, then you’re out of luck. But if you’re in a group of 6 people with you, then feel free to use 3 offers. That means that for the 6 main dishes you’re ordering, you’ll end up having to only pay for the 3 most expensive dishes! That makes it a really good deal, especially if you’re going out with friends!

Also, bear in mind that you’re not always going to get an exact half-off, as some restaurants charge service change before discounting the free item.

Where do you go on the app?

Ohh, boy this question gets me really excited! I love the app and have used it with much dedication. The people I end up eating with have started asking me to suggest places to eat on the app because dining out has ended up being a lot more affordable. When Seth and I are out dating, it brings down the cost of our dates by half and although we don’t always use the app, it’s very nice to know that there’s always a back up dinner option that isn’t going to cost too much.

Some of the places I’ve been that are really good are:

1. Gobo Chit Chat @ Traders Hotel

The buffet at this hotel is amazing, especially on Seafood Night (weekends - check it out!) and it was the first place I ever used the app for. Just using it once was enough to cover the cost of the app, so I consider it a well-worth it visit.

LOLOL cheesy group pic when I headed there for my birthday this year.

2. Daily Grind

Love this place! Creative burgers with great portions. I love the sweet potato fries and their house ketchup as well. We used to go here even before I started using the Entertainer and almost all of the food there is at a similar price point. This makes it very easy to maximise the use of the app as you are paying for the most expensive dish. If you buy two dishes with the same price, then you get the “most” out of the deal.

Had both these amazing burgers for a grand total of RM40.80. A pretty good deal with the app!

3. Drop Exchange

Blogged about this place here.

4. Pampas Reserve

Had a super yummy ribeye steak here in a classy yet relaxing atmosphere for our fourth anniversary. Buy 1 free 1 steaks is a guarantee of value for money and it was the place that Seth had steak for the first time (he didn’t always eat beef!) and now he’s hooked hahaha.

5. Yellow Brick Road & Red Bean Bag

I know those are two different places but as they’re brunch-ish places I think I can happily categorise them together. I love brunch food and being able to have them at half price is even better. Yellow Brick Road and Red Bean Bag are already fairly popular places, and I’ve been to both even before I started using the app.

6. Beard Brothers KL

Of course I have to mention Beard Brothers, our fun table mates at the party! They’re a fairly new vendor but you’ll get the chance to get a really good deal on beef ribs and brisket smoked to perfection.

Stole this shot from their FB page.

7. The Fish Bowl, Fin, Poke Bowl

If you’re into poke bowls, you can get your fix through these vendors on the app. There’s 3 of them (that I’m aware of) so that’s pretty much 9 offers to use - meaning 18 poke bowls. LOL can eat more than once a month.

8. Wondermama

Plenty of branches so it’s easy to get to and consistently decent food across the branches! Highly recommended. I’ve Instagrammed them when I’ve paid visits a couple of times.

9. Aliyaa

Another one of those Instagram reviews, and it was an alternative to Flour (only a walking distance away).

10. Tut’s Egyptian Eatery

Okay since my first visit I haven’t been back, to be honest because I know it’s not the type of food to suit everyone’s palate. But just looking at my previous Instagram review, I do have a fairly fond memory of it and will be back to have it again! Especially since everything works out to be very cheap with the Entertainer.

Other places I’ve been meaning to try that are also on the app are-

1. Rama V - fine dining Thai food

2. Mighty Monster - Australian-themed cafe food

3. Stratosphere - drinks on a roof which sounds like a lot of fun

4. La Risata - heard of this place plenty of times from friends so would love to go!

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Okay, guys this has been a pretty comprehensive review of my use of the app! If you’d like to buy it, you can do so at

THIS LINK HERE

There’s a free trial you can sign up for and you can take advantage of the Early Bird promotion that’s on now - I think it’s only RM90 for the offers on the 2018 app AND the 2019 app.

There are a few silly things when it comes to money - one of it is deliberately spending more money when you think you’re getting a deal. Don’t do that. This app will suit you if you like to eat out and if you don’t mind trying new places. If you’re a creature of habit and would like to keep it that way, this may not suit you that well.

Another silly thing is deliberately NOT saving money, because you don’t want to “look cheap”. Look, there’s a difference between actually being savvy and being cheap. If you think this will help you save money, because you already spend a significant amount of money eating out, trying new things, etc, then don’t let the fear of being a “coupon auntie” (which one of my old friends recently dubbed me which is 100% okay!) as long as you know you’re getting value for money, and you aren’t being the type of silly in the paragraph above.

OKAY.

GO FORTH.

AND BE ENTERTAINED.

* This post was not sponsored by the Entertainer, but they did let me come to their very cool party because I told them I would blog about it.

Parties Galore!

Woohoo! What a rush! November has flown by with a lot of excitement  - Bam! Bam! Bam! - and now here we are - right in the middle of it! A big part of the excitement stems from the pleasure of attending some pretty awesome parties this month and with the end of the year coming up, nothing screams festive quite like a p-a-r-t-y!

I initially intended on being more organised with my posts by chronologically bringing you guys up to speed with what’s been going on throughout the whole of 2018, but it made no sense to keep sharing stale stories when I have so many new ones. And to be honest, if I don’t get round to writing, it’s very likely I’ll forget all about it in a few weeks’ time!

1. Dad’s 55th birthday

Although this was initially meant to be a surprise party for my dad, when he kept making suggestions to us about where we should go for dinner and who he was thinking of inviting, we ended up telling him all about it before he ruined his own surprise. When the guests turned up, they were the ones surprised because my dad was already so prepared for it.

We celebrated my dad’s birthday at Latest Recipe at Le Meridian, which is one of my favourite places to go to for a buffet because of their live teppanyaki counter. You’re presented with a choice of beef, scallop, prawn and chicken to be cooked in a creamy gravy that is so delicious, I can’t help but salivate when thinking about it. Their live pasta station is also fantastic for the pasta of your dreams. I ordered a mix of cream and bolognese sauce topped with lots and lots of garlic and prawns. My “no veggies” combo gets no judgment here.

To celebrate the occasion, we ordered a 3D durian cake that I found online. It totalled to about RM100, which is a really decent price considering how absolutely breathtaking the cake was - both because it was gorgeous, but also because it smelled so strongly of durian. The cake itself was fluffy and light; a real treat for durian lovers. I got mine at Moonlight Cake House at Sri Petaling by ringing them a few days before and picking it up on the afternoon of the party.

With my lovely cousin, Sarah!

2. Diwali with the Valirams

I had the privilege to attend the party at the Mandarin Oriental, feeling like a guest in a surreal Great Gatsby-like party, where guests were dressed to the nines, there was delicious food for all and champagne on tap throughout the night. We scanned a QR code at the entrance and were soon swept into a wonderful flurry of colour and decadence. I was stunned by their generosity and warmth, as the Valirams stood by the door greeting every. single. guest. that came - and there must have been thousands!

I was really tempted to get a traditional Indian outfit for the event because the shopaholic part of me told myself that I’d find many occasions to wear it again. Eventually, sense prevailed and as the dress code specified either Indian wear or national wear, I went for a simple kaftan with a kebaya skirt I’ve had for a while.

Although royalty (e.g. Sultan of Perak!) and celebrities (e.g. Deborah Henry, Chef Wan) made up a portion of the guestlist, there was plenty of attention on the food! There was such a variety to try from the buffet spread, with highlights being the lobster briyani which packed such a satisfying kick in its sambal, handcrafted dishes from Nadodi and a free flow of Godiva soft serve.

To my pleasure, I bumped into some old friends, and made some new ones too! A conversation of note would be when I met a retired lady who took it upon herself to remind me of a few choice words from Alvin Toffler’s popular quote - which in entirety, reads as “the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” - but in the version that was delivered to me throughout the night sounded more like - LEARN, UNLEARN, RELEARN AND EXERCISE!!!! Sound advice! I took it gladly.

Another highlight was the brilliant music, which has now convinced me that no dance party is quite complete without some Indian music to round it off!

With my handsome +1.

3. Chinese World Economic Forum 2018

A friend of my father’s invited us to the gala dinner of the Chinese World Economic Forum 2018, marking diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. The event was held at the Palace of the Golden Horses which although beautiful in its grandeur (golden horses frozen mid-march across the field by the entrance and towering marble pillars in the lobby), it was starting to show signs of age with its water-marked walls and barren orchid conservatory. Even the grand ballroom we were in had water dripping from the ceiling! A few dinner tables were shuffled around and the water was left dripping in a bucket on the ground. Hmm.

The event was pretty significant for me because it was my first time hearing Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim speak in person and I even got to snap a picture with Lim Kit Siang, whose illustrious and long history in Malaysian politics have made him quite the respected veteran.

 

When accepting the Benevolence Leadership Award that was presented to him that evening, DS Anwar spoke of being undeserving of comparison to Nelson Mandela and how he felt that rather than “suffering” in jail, it was a time of recuperation and rest for him as he slept and ate well. I suppose that’s a very positive way of looking at it because it would be a time in one’s life without having to spend any money, yet be fed and clothed. And you’d have time to embark on creative and mental projects such as writing a book or planning the country’s next blueprint idk. It’s not too bad as well having a relatively cushy prison cell.

I wore a dress by twenty3 that went on sale for RM60 from RM239, which is honestly, such a steal!

I especially love the buttons and concealed zip.

4. The Entertainer Launch Party 2019

One of the more exciting parties I went to was the Entertainer Launch Party! I love the app, which is really no surprise considering how often I use it.

Basically a digital voucher book for buy-1-free-1 deals, you pay a fixed price for the app and in it are some pretty amazing discounts. You’ll very quickly earn back the sum you’ve spent for the app, especially if you enjoy eating out (which I most certainly do) and it’s one way to help you decide on what to eat. I’ll spend a little more time talking about this party in another post, because I want to share all about it in a little more detail.

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That’s my November so far! There’s a few more events that I’m excited about in the coming few weeks, including my workplace’s Annual Dinner and mom’s birthday dinner. 

What about you? Any parties you’re looking forward to now that 2018 is coming to a close?

Review: Drop Exchange, Mont Kiara

It may have been a while since my last review, but don’t take it to mean that I haven’t been having wonderful meals. Although blogs have certainly died down in the last couple of years in favour of Instagram and other microblogging sites, when it comes to choosing a place for good food, I still turn to blogs for a little more detail because Instagram is good for telling you what looks good, but perhaps not too reliable for telling you what tastes good. So, here I am trying to do a little more blogging before the year ends.

Today’s star of the show is Drop Exchange, a pork-free restaurant serving North Indian and Persian cuisine, while branding itself as the first Wall-Street themed bar and restaurant in KL. Wall-Street how, exactly? When ordering drinks, expect the prices to fluctuate (not drastically, I don’t think) depending on when you’re ordering, reminiscent of a stock exchange board that doesn’t quite close. Hmm. I can’t tell you what that experience’s like as we ordered from the Happy Hour menu, but if novelty’s your cup of tea, then you’d want to check this out. I suppose if you’re lucky, there’s a chance you’ll end up getting a very good deal.

Besides that, nothing else was distinctly Wall Street-like to me. Split into two floors, you’re closer to the bar downstairs and you’d get a little more privacy upstairs. Not too out-of-place for a fairly nice date or dinner and drinks with friends/colleagues.

Second floor gives you a stalker pretty view of the meals the folks downstairs are having, which could prove useful when trying to decide what to eat.

Tell me about the food.. 

I was in the mood for some bread and curries and thinking of Flour (reviewed here!) so we found ourselves at Drop Exchange. There weren’t that many reviews online so we honestly wasn’t expecting much, but was so pleasantly surprised by how delicious our orders turned out to be. 

We ordered the mutton Rogan Josh and mutton Bhuna with a side of garlic naan, butter rumali and cheese naan, and boy oh boy, those flavours were incredible. Although visually similar, both curries stood out in their own delectable way, and unlike some places which stuff their curries with potatoes and onions, we got a generous portion of mutton in each bowl.

Mutton Rogan Josh and mutton Bhuna. Honestly, don’t know which is which in this picture.

Although I found the dishes fantastic, if I had to be nitpicky, I’d say that the tenderness of the mutton in the Rogan Josh was not replicated in the Bhuna and there’s just a little bit more jaw work to put in depending on which piece we ate. I don’t know if this is a consistency issue, but it’s minor and I’d certainly return anyway.

Garlic naan on the left, butter rumali on the right.

Always a fan of well-made naan, I thoroughly enjoyed the garlic one, which in my view, was in a class of its own. The naan arrived to our table in its hot garlicky splendour, miraculously crisp and fluffy at the same time. Freshly-made rumali is pretty new to me as I’ve only ever had some served cold/stale with texture like thin cardboard. This was fluffy and served piping hot, a much better reintroduction to a bread that is such a predominant feature in Indian cuisine.

Here’s a close-up of the Great Deliciousness.

Here, have one! You’ll love it!

Greedy for more, I asked for an order of cheese naan, which unfortunately, was the disappointing call of the night. The cheese they used was simply a slice of processed cheese, not melted long enough, not distributed evenly, and although still useful as a curry vessel, you’re better off ordering a cheaper, yummier naan from your neighbourhood mamak.

Was hoping for a cheese pull here, but alas all the cheese had pooled together on a different piece.

Minding Money Tips

Now, I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t gonna help share some kind of discount/promotion.

You can use Offpeak to make a booking with up to 30% off, depending on when you go. Though I do think you have to book at least an hour in advance in order to benefit from the discount! Free to use and one of my favourite apps.

Alternatively, if you have the Entertainer app which I absolutely love using, you could get two main dishes for the price of one! It’s basically a yearly coupon subscription, and when I used it for this meal, excluding drinks, it totalled to RM51.50 for the two curries and three servings of bread.

Now go forth and have some curries!