[FOOD] A taste of New Zealand This Festive Season

Get a taste of New Zealand at the Taste New Zealand Food Fair

Get the taste of New Zealand at the Taste New Zealand Food Fair which brings Malaysians the best New Zealand products. New Zealand products are well known to produce with quality and honesty, compromising a delectable selection of new artisanal treats, guilt-free chocolates, premium New Zealand apples, kiwifruits and not to forget a good range of sustainable, eco-friendly products for every Malaysian to have at home.

My partner for the cook-off competition

The food fair is organized by the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), which will be held at all 7 AEON outlets nationwide from 30th November to 10th December 2017. The fair promises to have something for everyone, offering more than 150 products on display, and whats even better is that there will also be showcasing the best in food, delicious edibles, and innovative products all in one location!

Mandatory photo with Chef Krishnan

Our competition venue for the day

Just to get the party started, during the launch, the members of the media had a cook-off challenged organized at Berjaya University College led by Executive Chef Krishnan who demonstrated three recipes using New Zealand Mussels and Greenlea beef. I must admit that everyone was extremely excited to gets all hands on with the dish we were preparing. I must say that the whole experience of preparing a dish with their products are incredibly exclusive, especially with the ingredients that we provided by Taste New Zealand.

Greenlea Beef from New Zealand

New Zeland Mussels and Cheese

New Zealand Ready to Eat Baby Beets

Being given the chance to 'play around' with the amazing ingredients, I must say that even I myself wouldn't want to miss out on the event. If you would like to try something that would be exclusively from New Zealand, the Taste New Zealand Food Fair would be the perfect time to try as many New Zealand products which will be available during the limited time. Did you know that New Zealand's reputation for producing delicious, nutritious food and drink is second to none? So yes, this makes their products clean as it follows the world-leading food safety regime.

Whittakers Chocolate

Proper Crisps

Mainland Cheese

Kapiti Honey Pokey Ice Cream

Just to name a few of their featured products, you will look forward to seeing New Zealand Meat, Green lea chilled beef, Whittaker's chocolates and biscuits, Griffin's, Anlene, Spring Sheep, Kapiti Ice Cream, ready-to-eat beetroot and more! Included in the food fair, they will also be featuring brands such as Eco Store, which is a plant-based product with no nasty chemicals promising safer products to put on the skin or use around your house.

Our creation vs. Chefs. HAHA. Apparently, our portion was too big

And the mussels were perfect!

Now it's your chance to Shop and Win!

If you think it ends there, well I'm here to say it doesn't! It is a rare occasion, the New Zealand Taste Food Fair is having a promotion where you will be given a chance to win RM1,000 worth of AEON shopping vouchers! All you need to do is to spend RM80 in a single receipt, and you're on your way to an enter a lucky draw contest. So remember the date, where its eleven days of great tasting of the exceptional quality of New Zealand products at your nearest AEON. Psst, don't forget to share the excitement on social media by hashtagging #TasteNZMY to your social media post!

Shopee Turns TWO | Best Online Shopping App

Shopee turns 2!

I don't know about you, but I must say that Shopee is my ultimate favorite place to shop when I'm looking for insanely affordable finds online. Shopee is the leading e-commerce in Southeast Asia and Taiwan and has grown with 80 million downloads across the region, with over 180 million active listing by more than 4 million sellers. That's insane for a two-year-old don't you think? hehe. Since its launch in 2015, the Shopee team has also expanded to a total of over 2,500 employees! Very impressive Shopee. Congratulations!

Ian Ho, Regional Managing Director

I believe that all of this has been possible with their tremendous transformation since they first launched. But apparently to Ian Ho, Regional Managing Director of Shopee, this is only the beginning. Sounds like more surprises to me. hehe. Shopee provides fuss-free and a convenient shopping experience for buyers, offering a reliable and secure platform for brands and budding entrepreneurs to expand their online presence. So if you're a budding entrepreneur and looking for online presence, Shopee is here for you.

Join their Facebook contest and win!

As of 2017, Shopee Malaysia says that it has been an exciting year as more users embraced online shopping according to the statistics:

• Over 5 million app downloads
• Over 200,000 sellers and brands
• The launch of Shopee Mall, a premium online shopping portal. 
• The continued success of Shopee University, to aid local entrepreneurs. 

Shopee Promo Code for December

Other partners of Shopee

I must admit that I remember their first year launching into the industry, and now, to see them grown this far, it's indeed inspiring. Shopee has collaborated with brands such as PETRONAS, MYDIN, MBO and more, really huge brands to offer value-added purchases and with Shopee, brands are able to offer their customers Free Shipping across Malaysia! Even big brands would love working with them, and I can pretty much see why

Shope and win a trip to Honolulu

Spin the wheel and win more discounts and rebates

Insanely shocking deals at lowest prices guaranteed

Act fast to beat the clock on the 1st of December and 12th December

As part of its birthday celebration, Shoppe will be holding a birthday sale from 1st to 14th December (SAVE THE DATE), featuring massive promotions across over 6 million products. Shoppers can look forward to Shocking Sale Flash Deals, Upsized Mall Highlights, 12.12 Mega Deals, and many more exciting highlights. And because you're special too, you can win attractive prizes which include over RM500,000 worth of Beat the Clock Vouchers, a trip for two to Honolulu and an iPhone X worth RM5,500! Imagine that? Shopping with rewards, YES! 

Score some birthday treats during their birthday party

Get additional discounts

Get a 5-days gym access!

With insane offers, this is now your time to save money and start shopping on the Shopee App to snag some amazing deals during the campaign. If you're a Shopee users, Shopee would like to thank you, sellers, and partners for your continuous support. I'm currently hooked on their Shocking Sale Flash Deals and boy, I'm not sure what to expect when it's 12.12! Shopee is an addictive place to be online, and you have been warned! Be sure to join the fun by celebrating Shopee's 2nd Birthday! For more information, visit www.shopee.com.my/birthday. 

Download Shopee App for Free

App Store | Google Play

What to do during Earth Hour 2017 in Malaysia?

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Earth Hour belongs to you. This is generally the time where most of us would celebrate together to commit to our planet Earth, in our own way. And to be a part of the contribution is pretty simple cause it can be an action where you turn off all non-essential lights from 8.30pm-9:30pm no matter which part of the world youre from. And for this year, WWF has appointed Earth Hour to be on the 25th of March 2017.

So now, the real question is, what to do during Earth Hour when all the lights are off? I recently found out that Sunway Lagoon is celebrating earth hour on the 25th March 2017 from 7.30pm to 11.30pm at Surf Beach, calling it the Earth Hour Black Out Beach BBQ! How exciting does that sound? Its like killing two birds with one stone as youre contributing to the occasion while enjoying some freshly grilled meat at Sunway Lagoon.

Its really a rare ocassion that Sunway Lagoon opens after 6pm, so this is like an opportunity not to be missed! For only RM360 for 4 persons (Thats RM90/person) , you can join Sunway Lagoon to celebrate Earth Hour with a twist. This happens to be the first ever Black Out BBQ at Sunway Lagoon, so why not get your friends and family together and have a great time to celebrate a memorable Earth Hour night. 

BONUS CONTEST!

Stand a chance to win FAMFun package worth RM 356* when you book your Earth Hour 'BLACKOUT' Beach BBQ from 1- 15 Mar 2017! It's time for a BLACKOUT BBQ night with your family/friends for only RM360 for 4 persons. Book now at https://goo.gl/Wmk8FP #SunwayLagoonMY #EarthHour #BlackoutBBQ

A post shared by Sunway Lagoon Malaysia (@sunwaylagoonmalaysia) on Mar 1, 2017 at 2:11am PST

So as i was scrolling through Sunway Lagoon's social sites, i noticed that you can stand a chance to win FAMFun packages worth RM356 when you book your Earth Hour 'BLACK OUT' Beach BBQ from the 1st of March to the 15th of March 2017. Who knows if you have a lucky star in your pocket. I have no doubt that Sunway Lagoon will make sure you have fun that night with some exciting activities too! Looking for an exciting time to spice up your month? BOOK NOW at https://goo.gl/Wmk8FP or for more details, check out http://sunwaylagoo.com/blackout-beach-bbq/. 

[EVENT] Watsons #Palingsyok Campaign

Presenting the VIP's of the day.

Theres just something about Watsons, that makes us as consumers feel extra special. Now Watsons VIP members can look forward to an exciting reward o celebrate its 6^th anniversary with Watsons #PalingSyok Members sale and rewards which will be kicking off nationwide from 1^st to the 27^th of September in West Malaysia and 8^th September to 3^rd October  in East Malaysia.

Mandatory backdrop selfie

The campaign was an opportunity for Watsons to thank Watsons VIP members who has been with them from the beginning to see them grow into what they are today. The campaign launch was held at Live House Kuala Lumpur at TREC where guests were treated to an exclusive preview of the Watsons #PalingSyok viral video which will be made available on live in September onwards. The video features top male model, Kit Mah who shared with us that he had to practice some difficult movements to perfect the video. Below would be the Male and Female versions to welcome the #PalingSyok Campaign. 

I think we can confidently say that that Watsons has always provided the VIP experience for their VIP members with money cant buy experience through many exciting engagements in the past. And just to recall a few, it think we all would remember being involved with MTV World Stage 2015, TLC Festival 2015 and their very own Watsons Move Your Body Zumba 2015 with gathering over 7000 people together at one event. That’s pretty cray! And don’t get me started with the events they rewarded VIP members this year.

The main mascots for the campaign, ft. Kit Mah

In conjunction with the Watsons #PalingSyok campaign, Watsons will be having a members sale up to 50% throughout September and also will be rewarding members with a Watsons Cash Voucher worth RM200 when VIP members purchase a minimum of RM50 in a single receipt. Not to forget that members will be able to save more by redeeming their VIP points too!

A #PalingSyok Performance

Watsons also put it a surprise when a model turned up in a dress made from Watsons VIP Card and revealing a birthday cake to commemorate Watsons VIP Card 6^th Anniversary celebration.  Its no wonder that there were so many Watsons celebrity friends who were also present on that day to celebrate the occasion.

Celebrating their 6th Anniversary!

In conjunction with Watsons VIP members anniversary celebration, Watsons is also partnering with 11street for #PalingSyok rewards on www.11street.my from 8^th September to 26^th September. And FYI, Watsons VIP members who purchase any products sold by Watsons on 11street will earn double members points. Additionally, there will also be four exclusive offers each week and these also come with gift-with-purchase options. YAY!

Just because i think the wall deco is cool!

And there you have it! Just simply more reasons to shop at Watsons Malaysia. 11street will be offering free delivery for every purchase above RM50 and a 20% percent discount with any purchase, so be sure to not miss out on that. For more information head on over to www.watsons.com.my. 

Sara xx

[REVIEW] Nescafé Gold Blend Barista Machine

The Nescafé Gold Barista Machine

If youre a coffee lover, you came to the right place. Today i'll be talking about the Nescafe Gold Blend Barista Machine and i'll be sharing a thing or two about what i think about it. This barista machine has been designed to be paired with the Nescafé Gold Blend and alternatively other freeze-dried coffee options. The idea of this machine is basically to make sure that coffee lovers will be able to get the freshly grind coffee being made available at home.

Nescafé will be launching Nescafe Gold Blend Barista Machine on the 14th of September 2016 which will be available on Lazada, so be sure to stay tuned on that as theres a special launch promotion happening for a limited time, and its definitely cheaper than the original retail price.

MACHINE OVERVIEW

Nescafé Gold Barista Machine's User Manual

Machine Overview

Every box of the Nescafe Gold Blend Barista Machine comes with an easy to read user manual. And i  admit that i love pictorials instead of the wordy kinds, making it easy to understand on how to use it without making mistakes (or maybe minimizing on mistakes instead) haha.

IMPRESSION

Preparing Beverages

After about 3 weeks of using this Barista Coffee Machine, i have to admit that i love that it makes five different styles of coffee at a touch of a button, namely espresso, lungo, Americano, cappuccino, and latte macchiato. So imagine waking up, and it would take you less than 5 minutes to prepare your morning cup of coffee. Saving you the time from boiling water, getting the right measurements of your coffee and sugar, and milk out of the fridge. Doesnt sound too bad ey?

FIRST TIME USE PROCEDURE

The Water Tank

Be sure to fill the water tank at least 1/3 full

Before using the machine, you may need to rinse it through first. To do so, fill in about 1/3 of water into the water tank and dont forget to place a cup under the coffee outlet. Be sure to put drinking water in the tank to prevent any errors.

Click the espresso icon to rinse

Then once you have filled the water tank with water, switch the machine on and wait for about 25 seconds for the machine to warm up. Once the green blinking stops, touch the espresso icon and let the rinsing begin. Also, a gently reminder to make sure that you have a cup at the dispenser, cause once you've touch the button, hot water will be rinsing through. After rinsing is done, machine is ready for use!

ADD YOUR NESTLÉ GOLD COFFEE

Remove the Coffee Box

Remove the cover

Add in your Nescafé Gold Blend

But of course, you cant make coffee without the coffee right? So here's a pictorial on how i added my coffee in. Push the top cover and open it and remove the coffee box. Remove the gold cap and add the Nescafé Gold Blend, (in my case, i used the funnel provided in the box so that it avoids spilling my coffee as im a little clumsy). Next, once you've filled your coffee box with coffee, re-attach the cap and insert the coffee box back to the machine. Easy no?

MAKING YOUR CUP OF COFFEE

Preparing your beverages

Add milk first if you're preparing a cappuccino or a latte macchiato

Now for the fun part, preparing your coffee. Im not a fan of pure black coffee, so i would prefer either a cappucino or latte macchiato. But these two drinks requires milk. Since there is no milk dispenser, you may need to add the milk in the cup first before making your coffee. You can choose to use a measuring cup to measure the suggested amount of milk, or you can do how i do it. The malaysian 'spontan' way. 

Touch icon once your cup is prepared.

When preparing a cup of cappuccino or latte macchiato, again, a reminder to add fresh milk into your cup first, then let the machine amaze you by creating milk foam instantly right in front of your eyes. The machine literally shoots pulses of hot water into the cup to steam and froth the milk to the necessary texture, before dispensing coffee. I have to say that it was rather fascinating to watch my coffee being prepared for me without need me putting any other effort.

Machine shooting pulses of hot water to create foam

Coffee layers added

And viola! Its as easy as a push of a button, literally. I love how the aroma tempt me and of course the fact that i can control how milky i want my coffee to be (since i like it extra milky) Hehe. Also, please note that you may also need to add in sugar once your coffee is done, unless you like it without sugar.

VERDICT

And my cup of latte machiato is complete!

As a verdict, i would say that Nescafé has made it super convenient for coffee lovers to prepare their own Barista Style Coffee at home via DIY. It will be launched exclusively on Lazada on the 14th of September 2016 with a launch promo where when you buy the Nescafé Barista Machine with 1 Nescafe Gold Blend 200gm Jar with 1 Nescafe Gold Blend Refill Pack, it will only be priced at RM239.00 (For a limited time only). The original retail price will be at RM399, so if you've been looking for a barista coffee machine, be sure to stay tuned for the launch and get yourself this Nescafé Gold Blend Barista Machine at a promotional price today! 

You can purchase your Nescafé Gold Blend Barista Machine by clicking : HERE