Carlsberg Diamond Idol 2012

I must have done a very very VERY good job (LOL!) for Carlsberg 'coz I was once again invited to blog for them. My last Carlsberg post was on "The Triple Launch Party" which is currently sitting handsomely as one of the most popular post in this blog of mine.  

This time round, I'm being joined by not only Tom (Rungitom), but other bloggers as well:

From the Left: Sherrie, Margaret, Chloe Tiffany, Nathalie, 

Calista, myself &........ Tom on the camera :P

Organised on July 20, at Firefly bar & grill, a press conference the event was & it being named "Carlsberg Diamond Idol 2012", hence a singing contest it shall be.  Some facts about the contest:

• Carlsberg Diamond Idol 2012 is organised by Carlsberg Malaysia Sdn. Bhd,
• The 2nd edition offers more than RM30,000 cash prizes.
• The open audition will be held at selected outlets in six areas (starting from 17 August):
• Sabah - Sandakan, Tawau & Kota Kinabalu
• Sarawak - Miri, Sibu & Kuching
• Participants will have to perform any 2 songs in different languages (English, Bahasa Malaysia or Mandarin)
• The best 10 participants from the audition will compete at the respective Area finals.
• The details of the Area finals and more can be obtained from www.diamondidol2012.com.my or follow their facebook page.

Carlsberg Diamond Idol's objective is to promote young talents with singing skills.  This is their 2nd edition since introduced in year 2011.  12 grand finalists will be going through special classes in a training camp where the singers will be able to improve on their singing skills by getting pointers from the professionals in the industry.  The professionals are none other than Professor Dr. Fred Chin as the motivational trainer, Victor Lee - a well known local singer as vocal trainer and Skyler Liew - well known dance intructor in Sabah.

Mr. Kenneth So on the podium

Mr. Kenneth So, General Manager of Luen Heng F&B (a subsidiary of Carlsberg Malaysia), in his opening speech "We are once again proud to be part of this magnificent opportunity to use this as a platform to be closer to our consumers.  We anticipate through this sponsorship programme, Carlsberg is able to provide a platform to showcase the talented young singers in East Malaysia".   

The night's event was magnificently made official with the unveiling of its official  jingle (at the end of this post) produced by Stephen Lim - a well known producer who has collaborated with Hong Kong artistes like Jacky Cheung (SCREAM!!! I LOVE........... his songs <3. Did you know he just went to KL recently? ^_^) , Eason Chen and Daniel Wu.

The official launch

Toasting to the launch

The night was followed by introduction of the judges and tuned to the talent of Agnes James - 2nd runner up & The Most Popular contestant of Carlsberg Diamond Idol 2011:

Official judges joining on stage

Strong vocal talent by Agnes James

The press conference was all of happy faces, laughters, some free flows ;-D & more photo taking:

This time I did not pose with the Carlsberg ladies.  Guess who were I with?

Whoa!! He ain't a nobody, he is Mr. Popular

TADAH!! The bravest 4 on stage - WE ROCK!!  Next to me is Melisa

So, cutting short on pics, a reminder here, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

If you got the singing talent, don't miss out.  

More than RM30,000 cash prizes!   

The stage is set.  Its up to you to step up!

** Photos credit to BorneoColours.com

Sabah Beauties @ Miss Malaysia Earth 2012

Sometime about 2 months ago, I blogged about our Sabah beauties i.e. the contestants of Miss Earth Sabah 2012.  I ended the post with ways on following their progress and achievements.  Have you been following them? ;-)   

Well, I did! I am glad to follow their tweets and on facebook.  There were constant updates and lots of stunning pictures.  Following every step of their activities and preparations for the coronation night, the journey had been one of most meaningful.  It was a testimony of their dedication in raising awareness of the need to protect our one and only beloved earth.  Following their progress, it is also a reminder to me, as the guardian of this beautiful land, that I should not destroy our only breathable planet but instead, sowing the seeds of caring for our environment. 

And hence, after what seemed like endless events and activities, with all its fringe prizes, the crowning of the winner was finally made on June 16, 2012:

 #01 : From the left, 2nd Runner-up (Water), Grace Chang Siew Ling.  

1st Runner-up (Air), Deidre Ann Walker.  Crowning Winner, Joanna Marie Faurillo.  

3rd Runner-up (Fire), Xandria Ban Kah Yee.

If you think the coronation night marks the end of these beauties journey, well you have just made the wrong assumption.  Instead, their quest had just begun as they continue in raising environmental awareness whilst vying for the Miss Malaysia Earth 2012 title.  The event was recently held in Ipoh, Perak.

All four beauties were further trained, groomed, advised and motivated to face the greater challenge, the challenge to face all the country's states' crowning beauty representatives.  There wasn't a minute to waste as upon touching down in Ipoh, they visited various places around the state of Perak, such as the nursing home, coal factory, BOH tea plantation, vegetable plantation and strawberry farm in Cameron Highlands, and also competing in many of the subsidiary prizes**.  Their quests were pleasantly reported in this :

#02 : Borneo Post, July 13, 2012

#03 : All the beauties of Miss Malaysia Earth 2012

The coronation night on July 15 proved to be oh so suspenseful as their tweets kept coming in.  It was the first time for me to experience such beauty pageant without even seeing on television!!  With Joanna, Deidre & Xandria making to the final 10, that is already a major achievement for Sabah.  Hooray!!   

To receive news of Deidre being crowned the Miss Malaysia Earth 2012 1st runner up, the excitement was beyond just happy.  I WAS ELATED!!

#04 : Deidre, 1st runner-up (Air), Miss Malaysia Earth 2012

#05 With the newly crowned Miss Malaysia Earth 2012, Deviyah Daranee from Kuala Lumpur

The success of our Sabah beauties cannot be describe complete without the hard work of Mandy Nandu, the Director of MNE Productions who holds and organises the State's Miss Earth Sabah.  Mandy is also the national crowning queen of Miss Malaysia Earth 2009.  She responded in an interview of her happiness and proud of the results gathered as it has always been what she visioned, to have representatives of high-quality, equipped with not just beauty but also talents and intelligence to compete in the National Level.

#06 : Deidre & Mandy

The Miss Earth Sabah 2012 titleholders dedicate their year as the Green Ambassadors to promote environmental projects and to address issues concerning the environment to the community of Sabah.  As the state organiser, Mandy continues to arrange environmental programmes and activities for the winners where they are able to contribute to the community by spreading the awareness of environment protection.

Even by recording the Miss Malaysia Earth 2012 event in this post, I can feel the gratifying sensation & how proud I am of our Sabah representatives' accomplishment.  I could not contain myself when I read this very thought provoking answer Deidre gave during the Q&A session.  I end this post with a picture of our very happy Sabah representatives and Deidre's powerful answer: 

"Do not wait until the last tree has been cut, the last fish has 
been caught and the only last river polluted, then only mankind 
realizes that money cannot be eaten" ~ Deidre Ann Walker

#07 : From left, Xandria, Grace, Deidre, Joanna, Mandy & Crystal who is also 

a Sabahan (won the title of Miss Malaysia Earth 2011 - 1st runner-up)

** The subsidiary prizes:

• Miss Earth Media Gorgeous 2012 - Deidre Ann Walker
• Miss Yee Hup 2012 - Deidre Ann Walker
• Best in Talent - Xandria Ban Kah Yee
• Miss Charming 2012 - Joanna Marie Faurillo
• & many other prizes' 2nd & 3rd placings.  Congrats!!

# Photos sourced from Miss Earth Sabah facebook page (#01) & @MissEarthSabah tweets (#02 - #07)

Updates 20120712 + Me!

Hello!!!  Have you been missing me?  ^_^   

What can I say?  I am a bad blogger.  Have not update this blog because of my ultra maximized laziness.  There!!  I confessed!! You can unfollow me now.  *Waaaaaahh!! #cryingkitty.  Please don't....... #innocentkittylook

Lately, my daytime office job has been taking up alot of my attention.  With all the stress and pressure building up, I wasn't in my best of mood to blog.  I tried to compose a few times, but all I saw were depressing, frustrating and negatively expressed posts.  I couldn't bear to fill my blog with bad auras and affect my happy readers.  Who would want to keep reading blogs that cast black clouds, dark shadows and thunderous cracks all the time, right?

Hence, I'm glad that my sunny mood is re-emerging again as the pressure is gradually release away.  There are still some sizable pressure in me, but seeing most items in the checklist are ticked away, so is the burden being set free.  LOL, so glad that the event will be this coming Saturday, a gala dinner it shall be..... and its time to FLASH MY......... (tsk, tsk, no naughty business here ;-)).......... AWESOME FABULOUS ME!!!  Okay, its still a working day for me, attending guests, attending guests and attending guests.  But hey, I dress for the occasion, right?  

Here are some of my props which hopefully will not disappoint anyone, especially myself:

My fav double eyelid tape & new falsies <3

MAC my day ;-)

Sensationally high :-O

HA HA HA...... Laugh die me on the amount of RM I'm willing to spend for just "ONE WORKING NIGHT"!!  Boss, if you see this, I put my heart and soul in building an image for the office (& of course for myself too).  Maybe you should consider giving early bonus this year? *wink!!

.......... Psst, & a pay raise too.

As for the dress, well, let's just say............. & keep it a mystery *wink, wink!!

♥♥♥

** I tweet on my latest ups and downs. Follow me @vibrantkitty

** I am on Instagram with my mini stories.  Follow me @ vibrantkitty

Desserts @ ZenQ Desserts Lintas Square

Hello, I'm Cheeky, the eldest son of my mom.  My mom is the owner of this blog.  Today, she'll be featuring me & my experience here.  I will be telling the story of my maiden visit to ZenQ Desserts Lintas Square, a Taiwanese dessert house offering a diverse range of traditional  hand made desserts.  Yup, this is my 1st trip there, since it opened for business many-many moons ago.  Errr, please do not be mistaken of my moons imagining a very old shop ya, 'coz this dessert house is fairly new operating since year 2011.

From the main entrance, this place always looks full.  Hence, the reason why we never patron this place until now.  But b'coz dad was the one driving #likeaboss & the afternoon heat was fuming him up, we ended here tasting my first ZenQ dessert.  Whee!!.... I love discovering new places and stuff. 

As usual, the place looked full with aunties, uncles, jie-jie & gor-gor, cooling in the air-conditioned shop.  We have no place to sit.  But do not be deceive, for there are more seats situated behind the shop.  They've decorated the area with a green patio feel.  And guess what?? Shaded with ceiling fans to ease the heat!!  So, it wasn't as hot as what mom had anticipate.  If you know my mom, she's a "leceh" person, cannot too hot la, cannot too cold la, cannot without breeze la, cannot too windy later "kacau" her hair la, too heaty later make-up melts la, cannot be dirty la, etc.  Sigh, GIRLS!!

OK boh?

The pic turned greenish 'coz the shade on top of the building is of greenish hue.   

Dad usually does the ordering while mom pays, and here's what I got:

Shaved ice with mix fresh fruits @ RM8.90

Digging time!! Sharing my yums with my li'l brother, Manja.

Pretty soon, mom wasn't as uncomfortable anymore as we had our big bowl of icy cool dessert.  Dad was no longer fuming too for he finished his bowl of taro+sago dessert which he felt the taste was ordinarily average only.  And soon more people were joining us sitting at the "green patio" area.  

Ahh!! Life is good, except for areas that looked unpleasing
eg. the unsightly bucket, mop & similar seen here.

Besides hot and cold desserts, they serve a variety of snacking items too.  So its not all drinks, but eat too.  Didn't order any on that day.  Nevertheless, click here to know more about ZenQ Desserts and locations throughout Malaysia.

For more specific information about this branch / concept store itself: 

ZenQ Desserts Lintas Square
Lot 23 (DBKK 13-0), Ground Floor, Block C,
Lintas Square, 88300  Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Tel: 088-230 982

Operating hours: 11.30am - 11.30pm

So why not make yourself a trip there?  I would surely try out other varieties should I one day return.  For this, will need to depend on whenever dad and/or mom decide to savor, hopefully soon ;-).  Well, that's all I can say on this episode of my experience :-).

Oh ya, if you are wondering why my mom has not been blogging of recent, its because everyone is hogging the only notebook still functioning in the house.  The ones dad & I usually control broke down :-P  But pssst!!, tell you a secret, mommy is going to get her very own netbook soon. And according to her, it'll  be for her exclusive use & no more sharing.  Hooray!!  The existing one will be mine!!  I love you mom ♥ ♥

♥ ♥ ♥

** RM50,263.28.  This is mommy, biting her nails and gritting her teeth.  So near yet so far!! Almost bye-byeing the dominant 5!! Dominant 2, I'm moving closer to youuuuuuu........ focus, focus, focus!!

** To know my last balance, click here.

I Can Now Smile Confidently

Telling you this is like letting the cat out of the sack.  Something that have been with me for a long long time and I was hiding away.  Yet my conscience was getting louder and louder, so loud that I finally pick up my courage and plunge down the building........... kidding, not the building, but meeting the DENTIST :-P.

I have great phobia when it comes to seeing one of them.  This profession is no doubt, professionals in their field, but still the sound of their dental tools drilling and etching on my precious teeth while hands/fingers inside my mouth with myself lying helplessly on their dental chair?/bed? is sooooooo UNGLAMOROUS!!  Heck, terribly awful not shiok setting la.  BUT!!, its the consequences thereafter that counts.

So, jumping to the conclusion of this post, the brave in me made the leap and this is the end result:

Chio or not?? ^_^

For those who knew me, I have been suffering from this:

** Horrible discoloration - Pearly grey O.o

Reasons of discoloration can be anything from over consuming of coffee / tea, food colouring, poor dental hygiene, aging, smoking, expose of excessive flouride, metal existence in mouth such as fillings, genetic, & etc.  Those highlighted in bold were what I was suffering back then.  What's in my etc. list?  During my secondary school years, I was active in sports and had once suffered badly when an elbow was forced and accidentally hit bull's eye on my mouth.  Nothing major happened and the game continued on.  It was only later that uncomfortable symptoms were felt.  On top of that, I had gum bleeding when I was attending college.  But, discoloring was not really as bad then.

As time passes, with a suffered root canal tooth due for hideous discoloration, the aging factor was added for the rest of my pearlies.  Sigh, things became worst especially when I flip magazines seeing the Hollywood code of practice for amazing smiles.  SIGH!!  Felt really really bad la. "WHY ME?"  This was at end of last year.

Hence, since late last year, I have been embarking on a quest to attain better smile.  Some were quoting in thousands of ringgit and confusing procedures.  I'm not a complicated lady, I just want a simple answer.  My question was "Dr., please see my current condition and tell me whether I can attain whiter teeth?"  I didn't really care of the procedure as long as it does not burn a great big hole in my pocket & is not invasive with minimal damage to my healthy teeth.  YES, despite the colour, I am having real healthy & sturdy teeth that I could bite & tear a chunk of raw meat away from the bone............. kidding, kidding. :-)

I ended up convinced by this procedure called Everbrite.  I was made to understand it won't be as white, but it'll solve my discolored root canal-ed tooth.  This particular tooth is one of my bunny teeth, so you can imagine how much agony have I suffered with an imperfect smile.  If you are wondering, all my smiles in my previous posts were altered, teeth colored to an acceptable level.  There!!, that's the cat escaped from the sack!! Phew, letting the cat free, I am also one action lesser in altering my photos.

And now, I present to you the truthful Vkitty and her new found brilliant smiles:

The procedure took 1½ hours.  It was painful, but bearable.  I have great tolerance for pain.  I have afterall, delivered 2 babies.  NO PAIN IS COMPARABLE TO THE AFFLICTION OF GIVING BIRTH.  My apologies, I have to emphasize that.  Without a doubt, hands down, the dang-est pain in my life was labouring to see my babies. 

The whitening procedure is nonetheless, painful enough allowing myself shedding a tear.  Totally not what the Dr. mentioned of when I consulted him.  My kitty claws were gripping tight onto the chair?/bed? and at times, fist up ready to bash the person next to me........... kidding, kidding, kidding. ;-)

Well, that's all I can express about the procedure.  Its simple, non abrasive and fast.  I am happy with the result, nonetheless falling short of satisfaction.  But the Dr. welcomes me to see him again for further treatment/procedure in enhancing the whiteness.  But after that pain, I guess I need time to recuperate physically and mentally.  Gum was sore and pain killers were needed. 

Maybe I'll consider during my next 6 months check-up, with deliberation on the depth of my pocket & whether there are any other "more friendly" solution. O.o

By the way, depending on your lifestyle, Everbrite may or may not last. 

** photos in blue bb-T, courtesy of AngelBear

The Triple Launch Party by Carlsberg

Beary said I drink like him.  Whatever amount of beer he takes, I match his.  His admiration of my macho-ness while guzzling down glasses and glasses of beer got him stamped his approval as a potential life partner.  And that's how I got hitched & became a wife. WTF!

So when I heard of this invitation to blog about beer, there were sparkles in my eyes.  We are in the mid of our hot & dry season, so hot that I wondered how our Unduk Ngadau ladies could maintain their composure.  Ever graceful and steady, my RESPECT ♥ to ya girls.

A refreshing thirst quencher would be heavenly right at this moment.  To witness a launching ceremony accompanied by these drinks, its party Party PARTY!!: 

 

There were 3 significant programmes on that night: 

1) Introducing the new, modern, contemporary packaging of Carlsberg quart bottle ~ The global relaunch of Carlsberg took place across 140 markets worldwide since April last year.  And now its extended to East Malaysia aligned with its global brand revamp effort whilst embracing its new tagline "That Calls for a Carlsberg".  The new positioning calls for a brand that's VIBRANT, contemporary, young, 'cool', inspirational, bold and modern and is anchored on the rich heritage of the brewery as well as its quality. 

Carlsberg girls with their big bottles

The big bottles cast within an ice sculpture

Mr. Soren Ravn, Managing Director of Carlsberg Malaysia giving his opening remark

The launching of the quart sized bottle.  Seeing here with the local distributor representative

The programme was immediately followed by the launching of the KK Jazz Festival 2012.

2) Carlsberg & Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival 2012 (KKJF) ~ Carlsberg has been a regular supporter of KKJF since year 2010.  This festival brings together a musical melting pot of talents from around the world and is now a signature event in the Sabah's annual calendar of events whilst as a key component of the Kota Kinabalu Arts Festival.  Over the years, KKJF has grown from a 1 night concert into a 2 day event with a series of fringe stages, workshops and talent search.   

Carlsberg gladly announced its continued partnership with this highly anticipated KKJF as the official beer sponsor for the 3rd consecutive year.

Mr. Jack Ong, President of KKJF, presenting a souvenir to Mr. Soren Ravn, 

marking the official launch of the event

Last but not least, the final highlight of the night:

3)  Launching of the Asahi Super Dry ~ Latest family member of Carlsberg Malaysia, Asahi Super Dry caters for the premium beer segment.  Brewed in a unique Karakuchi method, this No. 1 Japanese beer gives a clean, crisp and refreshing taste with no bitterness.  The launching made was in view of the recent agreement signed with Asahi Breweries Ltd (ABL), where the rights to locally manufacture, sell & distribute the Asahi Super Dry by Carlsberg Malaysia's brewery in Shah Alam.

Asahi!!

All in all, I think I've covered the "ingredients" of the launching.  So much info to cover, yet it did not dampen the fun factor.  It was a Blast-ful night of laughters, music & socializing!!   

Okay la, I'll add some random pics that I took, just to show you how fabulous can one gain from covering such events:

The crowd.  See the guy with a hat?  Wait, I'll tell you more later.....

The bar with its endless supply of beer

Tadah!!  That's me.  So brave ah me, despite being an obasan. LOL.

Our forever never empty glasses.....

...... & now you know why they're never empty!!!

Rungitom & the guy with the hat again...... (wait-wait.  I'll tell you soon)

OMG! Is this cool or what?  The MD giving a rap no.!!

 Don't know this guy..... LOL, I know la, he's the PR for Carlsberg ;-)

Met Charlotte Fong.  Having our Asahi.

Haiya this Rungitom. No signal one when taking pic.

They call this the ELECTRIFYING dance performance

With Carrie the dazzling emcee & Charlotte

Carrie in action

TADAH!! Appy in da haus.  Latest talent in town.  Sold off all his EP release within days!

More jazzy songs serenading the night away

I'm glad I made it to this event as besides meeting new people, I found out that Carlsberg had in the past 2 months, won numerous awards.  To name them:

~ Won Gold at the Putra Brand Award for 3 consecutive years
~ Best Brand in F&B catergory of the Brand Laureate Awards 2011/2012
~ Most Trusted Brand Award by the Reader's Digest Award for the 14th time

One other celebrated award by Carlsberg Malaysia itself is the JBR's 2011 brand re-launch award, received at the recent Carlsberg Leadership Conference Gala Dinner in Rome.  

My door gift : The beer of choice for the EURO 2012™ Football Championship 

I have also build an appreciation to jazz music and can't wait for the KKJF on the 15 & 16 June 2012.  It will be held at the covered tennis court of the Sutera Harbour Marina, Golf & Country Club.  Tickets are available for sale now.  

Visit the KKJF website for more info, ya. 

Thank you Borneocolours.com for extending this awesome fun party invite.  Mucho gracias!! *Muah!!