AMBP Travel Ambassadors Programme Launch! Monday, September 29, 2008
On the (rainy) evening of the 27th of September, a group of bloggers and media personnel converged on the Menara Star, Phileo Damansara, to witness the launch of the brand spanking new AllMalaysia.info 's Travel Tool. In partnership with the Mayflower travel group, this portal is a one-stop centre for travellers who are eager to find out more about packages and information for tours and travel.
The First Slide.
Cool-sounding name for a lecture theatre.
The MC.
After the initial speeches by various dignitaries and pressmen, as well as an interactive demo of how the website worked, the ceremony progressed to the the initiation ceremony for the AMBP Travel Ambassadors Programme, the reason which brought 40-odd bloggers from around Malaysia (myself included) to the ceremony that evening.
About a month ago, AMBP ran an ad to select bloggers who were interested in the field of travel blogging. These bloggers would be sent on various sponsored holidays, and all we had to do was write reviews about our experience.
Sounded too good to pass on.
And so, I wrote in to indicate my interest, and strangely enough, here I am. Woohoo! Not only did I get to see several familiar faces, I got the chance to meet, for the first time, (a small group of) my fellow Travel Ambassadors.
This is QuaChee. He's also the author of the book 50+1: Malaysia (which was included in our gift packs.. more on that below)
These two lovely ladies are Samantha and Teckiee, both avid bloggers. One loves hamsters, the other loves reviewing food.
A blur shot of Tammy, who wins lots of movie tickets!
Hurley, whom I've bumped into several times in other events.
Michael Fredericks, Editor of AMBP, giving the keynote address.
After explaining how the system would work, the ceremony ended, and we proceeded outside for more photos (of course) and food! (no samosas, though).
Samantha came all the way from Kuching to attend the event! (if you haven't guessed, she's the one who loves hamsters)
Hurley, fellow Nuffnanger, and now fellow Travel Ambassador!
Teckiee, who blogs about food with passion (and intends to get a GPS unit =)
Hurley and Teckiee (did I get the name right?) checking out the Gamin GPS units.
Michael Fredericks, queueing up for food.
Johnny and Tammy exchanging links.
Teckiee, QuaChee, and Johnny having a laugh over an X-rated topic.
Thomas Yap, Samantha, myself, and Tammy (Tammy and Samantha were kind enough to pass me their fish cutlets and fried chicken)
We were all given this nondescript Mayflower gift pack.
Looks kinda small, right?
Here's whats inside. A shoe bag, t-shirt, and fridge magnet, followed by...
...a copy of the cool 50+1 book by QuaChee.
A whole jingbang pile of leaflets, pamphlets, and brochures about Mayflower packages. Somewhere in there is a Mayflower privilege card.
Vouchers, vouchers, and more vouchers.
And the pièce de résistance...
...the first round of travel packages!
Well, its a start to the whole new adventure. A thousand thanks to AllMalaysia.info, the good people from AMBP, and Mayflower travel services! Looking forward to my first 'assignment' with the gang of Travel Ambassadors.
(A Portion of) The Travel Ambassadors!
Here's to a long (and food-filled) travelling experience!
Holiday, anyone?
Read about theStar's scoop on the event, here!
Posted at 07:27 pm by IsaacCheah
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Bangsar Lutheran Church Anniversary @ Chef and Brew Friday, September 26, 2008
It was a pretty wet Sunday when I arrived at the Epicure, Damansara, to attend Bangsar Lutheran Church's 8th Anniversary High Tea. Despite never having been to the place, the map provided (simple as it may be) gave pretty clear instructions to the place. I ran through the lightening rain into the warm ambience of Chef and Brew, with the proceedings already underway.
The Epicure looks more like a sprawling Victorian-era house, rather than a office complex. The Pastor. The Pastor, again.
Upon arrival, I sat near the entrance, which also served as the first table at which the buffet line started.
I immediately noticed the food... ...and found it hard not to stare too long at it.
Tempting. Even more so.
The community in BLC is relatively young, and every time I drop by (on average, once a year) there are always young children and babies to play with.
Happy Families. The gardens in the middle of the Epicure. Chef and Brew.
A hearty congratulations to Bangsar Lutheran Church for 8 years of success and continuity! May the Good Lord shine upon your church and bless you with many years of joyful service.
Salmon quiche is extremely addictive.
Posted at 08:12 pm by IsaacCheah
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Of Weird Looking People Walking About... Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Posted at 12:56 am by IsaacCheah
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Of Surprise Birthdays and Housewarmings... Sunday, September 21, 2008
On Monday night, I met up with Lauren in Midvalley, and we made our way to the old hunting grounds in Semenyih, for Chong Kitt's surprise birthday barbecue. The aforementioned fellow was informed that the gathering in the Semenyih house served as a housewarming ceremony, and that we were planning to carry lanterns around the area (with the Mooncake Festival just passed).
The food.
When we reached, and as we were setting up the barbecue sets, the cake/muffins were brought into the house to Chong Kitt's utter amazement. Ok, maybe the amazement wasn't all that utter, when Chong Kitt noticed his girlfriend calling Lauren's handphone, which was left behind on the table while Lauren was busy helping the girlfriend light the candle outside the house. Still, I'm sure he liked the muffins.
Chong Kitt and his muffins. The fish/chicken balls... ...and how to know when they're overcooked. =)
The rest of the night was spent talking about various topics, some of which included spelling errors and The Difference Between Penang and Other Types of Hokkien. I also discovered that cockroaches can strike terror more effectively than frogs (to some people).
Lauren and I. Chong Kitt and Fan. Everyone with a muffin. Lauren and Chong Kitt. Lauren, Tze Ching, Eunice, and I. Tze Ching's Good Angle (in her own words)
We never did walk around with lanterns. Good thing I did that the week before.
Posted at 12:47 pm by IsaacCheah
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Of Spooky Carparks and Great Marketing... Tuesday, September 16, 2008
While I'm waiting for photos from Chong Kitt's Birthday 'Surprise' to be sent over, here are some random snapshots to keep my avid and dear readers entertained.
I had always thought that the parking in Midvalley Megamall was one of the worst parking lots that I've ever seen, due to the insane number of cars that sprout like mushrooms (at any time of the day, I might add... what are all these people doing in a shopping mall at 11a.m.?) and the crazily small space alloted for each car (I think the designer thought the Kancil was going to be in vogue when designing the car park).
But this carpark takes the cake.
The Dungeon. This door actually leads to an extremely dark room, with no lift (or anything for that matter) inside.Reminds one of The Blair Witch Project and the house in the middle of the woods.
On a recent trip to the Celcom building in KL, we were forced to find parking in the basement carpark, since it was raining outside. The moment we drove down, however, it was like entering Gua Tempurung (complete with mold). And I think they must have used a Volkswagon Beetle as a ruler when they drew the parking lines.
While casually browsing through some items on my desk, I came across this piece of advertising genius.
I immediately knew that I had to have a picture of this.
Its like a credit card slogan. "How much for The Lord? Priceless."
Stay tuned for Chong Kitt's 'Surprise' Birthday/Housewarming/Lantern Festival!
Posted at 09:02 pm by IsaacCheah
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Thursday, September 11, 2008
As indicated earlier, the Clorets Amateur Pole Dancing Finals fell on the same day that Li-Lynn decided to throw her pre-birthday celebration. The former was in Zouk, KL, starting at 6.30p.m., and the latter in Italiannies, The Curve, at 7.30p.m.
And so, it was either 15 sizzling hot ladies shimmying frantically up and down a stainless steel pole, vying to capture the eyes of the judges with seductive dance moves, Hannah Tan and DJ Pietro showcasing their newly learnt talents, and plenty of food thrown in...
...or Lynn's 21st birthday do, where I get to eat pasta.
It wasn't much of a choice, actually.
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*Grin* How could I possibly miss this one? ( I even wore the same shirt )
And so, at about 7p.m., I made my way to The Curve with Weng Lum, only to find Joey waiting for us patiently. As it turns out, the massive jam to the Damansara Utama area caused everyone to turn up late, so we were pleasantly surprised to be the first few to reach (I had initially planned to attend both functions.. Good thing I didn't.. Getting from KL to Damansara would have been a nightmare).
Li Ping and Shun Timothy looks happy. Kwo Kuang and Joey are really into the picture. Me trying to (and failing) look yeng. I've not seen Siok Kin and Weng Hoe for ages. Its good to know that they're still fun, happy, people. Lauren came just in time for pasta. I'm not sure whats happening here (look at all the hands). Something indecent going on in Kohi's mind, perhaps. Happy People. Keat is extremely animated. And his hands appears gigantic. Look at him go! (Saturday Night Fever style)... ...with a suitable comparison. All the ladies. Robin's comment on the Facebook version of this picture; "Go put some clothes on"
Trust Kwo Kuang to take photos which turn out like artistic nudes.
 I'm not sure what they were trying to do, here... Lynn goes at the alcohol... ...and even more... ...and starts to lose her hold on sobriety.
And the Compulsory Group Photo, of course.
Happy Birthday Lynn! Your real one isn't for some time to come, anyway, so I guess you'll be having another bash then. Have fun!
p.s. I never did get that pole dancing demo that Lynn suggested. Haha...
Posted at 04:01 pm by IsaacCheah
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