FFS- Forefront Idol 2012

Well, another year has come and gone.. and its been more than a year since the last Idol was crowned .. hahaha .. Well last year the joyful singers was 'Moi' and a Mr.Jack Tan.. hahaha .. So this year the same system was done for the paring of couples. And since we have more teammembers this year, basically almost everyone has a partner. Although there were a few people that cancelled last minute, we sorted through the pairings...=)

Well, we've done soo many activities that we have to somehow start to recycle some of the ideas. And i guess for this year we did miss a month or two here and there , heheheh, so even though its the fasting month this activity did bring some excitement to our daily routine. .=)

We started out , my going each seperate ways. Since it was a fasting month, we all went our own ways for breaking fast. I was happy as i had awesome ppl surrounding me ..=).. Para, Ian, Wawa and myself broke our fast at Papparich at the mall nearby our office, Cittamall. hahaha , its always a fun thing going out with them.. The laughter and 'conversations'we had was pretty interesting hahaha . After breaking out fast, we were soon on our way to Sunway Giza. 

It was the same place that we held last year Forefornt Idol .. 

Funny enough it was at the exact same room... =)

 This was taken before the event started.. 

Where everyone just arrived and the food and drinks just being placed 

on the table for everyone to indulge . 

I guess everyone was pretty nervous .

 And we were informed before the date that  way each pairing was to be scored . 

10points for singing, 

10points for entertainment 

10 points for any surprise value  added for the pairing . 

And the pairing are divided as below..

Jack & Nabil

Ian & Jeff

Parames & Chiao

Adhwa & Affendi

Dina & Andy

Faranadia & Joseph

Jin & Darien

Shih Ying & Sylvester

Marissa & Rosman

Vicky & Amirul

Lai & Ernest

And soon the singing began .. hahaha .. I'll update soon with videos..=) 

Me with my awesome buddies .. from L-R Nabil,Parames, Wawa and Me..
The only ppl that are missing are Ian and Mervyn..!!=)

My partner Andy , Ian and I .. Goofing around hahaha 

 Everyone truly had a blast that night. There were quiet a few surprise performances, hehehe  where chinese singing malay songs, malay singing chinese songs and people who we all assume would be singing slow/low or high/fast songs tend to go the opposite ways.. And it was definitely interesting how everyone interacted with their partners ... hahaha 

All in all it was a very interesting night !! 

And I think everyone truly enjoyed themselves ..!!!!!

Even the CEO and COO enjoyed themselves .. hahaha .. It was definitely awesome seeing everyone interaction  and support everyone gave each other for each performances...=).. After all 11 pairs have show their performance skills , soon we were crowning the new 2012 Forefront Idol. The torch has been passed down to ........... * drum-roll please*

Congratulations to the FFS 2012 Idol winners!!!Mr.Amirul and Ms.Vicky

So that was how we conclude the night. Well... not really hahaha ... Since mostly everyone left early , the ones that are left were enjoying the rest of the 90mins enjoyed and sharing the microphone.. And thats how we end the awesome glorious night away .. By Singing the night away ... hahha .. Lets see whats instored for us next and who will the next FFS Idol..!!1

Cannelloni... so yummy !!!!

I have always wonder how canelloni was made. Especially watching all those Italian cook or travel tours of Italia. Well, safe to say i ahve finally overcome my fears of cooking italian. hahaha , although i go thru the shortcut way... hahaha .. 

But i am proud that i at least tried . So i am now sharing a bit on what and how i did it ... It was actually very easy ... Although there are many varieties, mind you this was my first attempt. So , be prepared for me to make more types and variety . ...

Here we go ... 

Here are the things that you may need for your canelloni. The sauce was premade and refrigerated do it's something u can do. As bolognese sauce can be use for many many things and dishes ... =).. hehehe 

1) Canelloni shells you may get any brand that you may find at your nearest supermarket

 2) Cheese, i prefer to mixed mozzarella and cheddar cheese or u can
choose either one will do

3) I used my home-made bolognese sauce (beef/chicken/vegetarian).
This was pre-made about 2 weeks ago..=)  

The steps ??

1) Preheat the oven to 180 celcius.

2) Stuff the canelloni with the bolognese sauce .

 (put it in a sandwich bag or a plastic bag and tie it with a rubber band. Snip one of the ends out and this will help the stuffing easier..=) )

3) Start arranging the stuffed canelloni in a oven safe dish. Make sure there is a bit of space in between.. (thats just how i do it ..=))

4) Cover the stuff canelloni with a bit of the sauce. 

(Just how much of sauce u want.. you mayb add according to your liking ..=))

5) Of course the last part is the CHEESE!!! 

(Sprinkle them on , hahaha, up to your liking i like mozzarella mixed with parmigiana and cheddar ,,=))

6) Place the oven safe dish into the oven and cook for about 18-20mins..=)

AND TADDAAAA... Enjoy your Canelloni..!!! 

These were how mine turned out..!!!!

hahaha ,.... Hope it was easy enough instructions and hope you guys get to make it yourself and enjoy this awesome dish ..!! hahaha .. Till next time..!! Ciao..!!

RIDZ Okumura...A new change...!!

Ridzuan and his beautiful Japanese wife , the proud owner of RIDZ Okumura Saloon.

Early this year i bought a few groupon voucher for service from RO , the voucher was for 

Hair Color/ Highlight/ Japanese Cold Perm/ Hair Growing Treatment/ L'OREAL Hair Spa + Hair Cut + Wash + Blow (L'OREAL , Lakme & Yumi)  

What originally would cost us about RM300++ i only paid RM65. Awesome huh?? hehehe... Well, whenever i buy any voucher i would always have a low expectation in order to have at least a great experience out of the promotion. 

I kinda had a hard time understanding on where the saloon was, after a few calls to the saloon , I was properly directed to the place. The saloon is located in the lane behind summit and directly behind SEGI college on the 1st floor of the Impian Meridian condo/apartment building. Parking was easy to find, however, i do recommend for all ladies to go there accompanied by friends, or even "A" friend will do ..=). The place looks safe enough but it would be safer to go in a group. 

This is what u see the moment you walk in. My photo was blurry so this photo was taken
 from the ILOVEdiscount webpage from the promo page...=)

Walking into the place, i was really impressed the deco of the place was really nice. I remember the days of going to a saloon nearby my house, run by a chinese aunty with simple interior of a huge mirror, rotating chair, a place to wash hair and a mini old sofa. So compare to what i normally get... This was awesome..!! Gorgeous..!!Beautiful... and the staff was soo friendly form the moment i step foot into the place till the time i left after my treatment. 

The customers chair for the treatment and services

Hubby and me before our hair colour and cut/trim..=)

Hubby@Tito@Kamal = Got himself a haircut and a new hair colour. 

(which was recommended by the hairstylist )

Myself  = I got myself a change of colour and i added another treatment (additional rm50) . With a snip here and there..i was done.. Of course after the awesome power of blow drying..=)..I love the feeling and how my hair looked after a session of wash and blow ..=)

This was me Getting my hair trimmed first . Um.. Trying to keep my long hair ..!!=)

The Best part that i truly like was when they wash my hair at the high chair and they gave that "hair wash massage ". Like seriously.. have ya gotten to try it before?? Its awesome, it makes me relax and kinda to the point of sleepy-ness...=).. lolz. I think like any girl or even some boys .. We love the feeling of our hair is being played by someone right ?? lolz... maybe its just me .. hahaha ... 

Prior to this place, i would normally get my hair done by a student in an academy class venue Acutabove Academy in sunway pyramid. Most people will cringed when hearing or knowing that's students will be handling their hair. I only went there as it was cheap however they take too long of a time to finish cut, wash, blow and colour my hair. on an average i would have to be at the venue about 6hours for all to be done. Starting at 11am ending about 4-5pm.  hahaha ... lolz.. enough about that place.. lolz.. Im now talking about Ridz Okumura , hahaha .., 

The treatment and service i had at RO only took about 3hours . hehehe .. which was awesome, as its only half the time than i normally had to endure to get my hair done. Since they are open till late , we scheduled the time to get out treatment and service at 5pm and we were done by about 8.15pm... It was awesome to get our hair done without our ass's sleeping midway of the treatment from the numbness.. hehehe 

Let's see the finish results ...!! TADAAAA.... =)

Hubs with a lighter shade of brown and a new hair cut.. I think looks good on him.=)... 

What do u think?? =) ...He likes to say that the style kinda make him look

 more korean-ish... hahahah ...But i like this type of style and colour.. 

Gives him more light in his eyes..more spunk..!!=)..

This is me after all the pampering of the hands of the washer, the blow from the hair 

dryer and the hair colour plus streaks of blond-ish highlight that was chosen for me..... 

I love it .... It kinda shapes my face and it makes me awesome...!!

So All in all, me, hubby and my bestie Amly, truly enjoyed and love the service given by Ridz Okumura . And i would sincerely recommend this place a try as they will be having this promo till year end of 2012. Dont miss this awesome promo, Call them for booking ..=).. 

Highlight / Hair colour (any length) / Treatment / Cold Perm 

+ Cut + Wash + Blow = Rm65

Wanna give this place a try ??
RIDZ Okumura saloon & Boutique
Impian Meridian S01-13,, Jalan Subang 1,
USJ 1, 47000, Subang Jaya., 
Selangor. 
Tel: 03-5891 1402 / 012-666 1402

Garibaldi.. Italian fine Dining.

It was nice coming in , sitting down and was handed a warm towel to "freshen up".
And the attended would place the napkin on your lap
(the kind you see in movies.*giggle*).

The restaurant is actually a two level restaurant, the one on the lower ground was actually and Italian lounge & bar where the food and prices were more affordable and more familiar flavour while on the second floor was the Fine Dining Italian Cuisine. They normally serve up dinner sets that would cost up to RM100-250 (from what i have read about in other blogs and reviews..=) ). However, if you are there on a weekday and during lunch time, they also have a more affordable lunch set deals about RM45-55++. Lucky for me, my aunt was meeting up a friend of hers and the friend decided to treat my aunt to an exquisite Italian lunch, since i was my aunts driver of the day she treated me too... lolz.. Lucky me ?? 

The moment we were seated, we were given the menu of the choices that were given for the set. While we make our choice, we were served homemade herb cheese sticks and also freshly made herb focacia with their olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You wanna know whats the best part?? The best part was that the bread was still warm and so soft that when you dip it into the oil and vinegar mixture.. It was delish...!!!!

These are the bread sticks and focacia bread... yummy..!!!!

After we've placed our choices for the day, i took the time to check out the place... I took loads of photos.. But i choose to share these with you... (you can double click if u wanna see it in a bigger size). They have this modern look to it. I love it that they decorated the room and made it airy and spacious but not claustrophobic. With the movable walls, they could make about 4 small private rooms... Cool eh? =).. 

 The designs and spacious dining place..=)

 Since there were 3(three) of us, some of the dishes, we choose different ones so we could try each others dishes (I know its not a fine dining attitude, but we didn't care.. lolz..).Ok, these were the dishes we all choose... =)... Some of the dishes were identical so i only displaying different ones that we had..=)

AMOUSE BOUCHE - Palate Teaser 
I truly forgot what's it was, but if im not mistaken its a pumpkin pâté with a white
chocolate sauce.. lolz.. oopsy sorry... but it was deliciously weird.. !! 

1st Course - Appetizers
Strudel DiVerdure Grigliatee Mozzarella
(Grilled Vegetables and Mozzarella in Crispy Fillo Pastry)

1st Course -  Appetizers 
Insalata Di Coscia Di Anatra Croccante
(Salad with Crispy Duck Legs Orange Segments and Tomato Confit)

2nd Course-Main meal
Barramundi Con Verdure Al Burro E Salsa Di Acciughe
(Fried Barramundi with Butter Vegetables and  Anchovies Emulsion)

2nd Course - Main meal Brasato Di Manzo Con Polenta
(Red Wine Braised Australian Beef with Polenta )

Dessert of the day 
A chef selection... I forgot what it was too, but it was a mixture of flavour. Raspberry coulée, Hazelnut mousse and a very nice caramel walnutty cake-like bottom. It doesn't look chocolatey, but it sure do taste like it.. Yummy..!!

Sorbetto - Sorbet (ice-cream)
If not mistaken it was a fruity Passion Fruit Sorbet. 

Sorbetto - Sorbet (ice-cream)
This was raspberry sorbet.. Sourly sweet that it cleanses the palate..

After our meal was done, we were served coffee and tea. Since the "adults"( hehehe i consider myself the child out of the 3 of us) wanted to have some time for themselves i decided to leave them to talk and have some adult time.. lolz... And lucky me, at the exact time the Italian chef came to our table and ask how we enjoyed out lunch. And after small chit chats, they invited me to a tour of their kitchen. And i agreed of course duh!!!

I was shocked to know that the tiny kitchen actually caters to both the restaurants (upstairs-fine dining and downstairs- lounge and bar). They are very organized and the cooking stations and sections were clean and fully utilized. I was truly amazed...!!! Hehehe, I even got the chance to take a some picture with the whole kitchen staff. They posed and some even did some awkward pose at the back of the photo.. lolz..

Meet the two cute Italian chef of Garibaldi
Andrea Genio (sous chef - left) and Giuliano Berta (executive chef - right)

Andrea Genio (sous chef)

We later went back to the table, and they asked how we enjoyed our meal and sometimes explaining to us how long or how the food was made. =)... After asking about food, the topic changed to holidays and places we've been. Im shocked to know that these two Italian chef have been to more Malaysian countries that i have... *cover face..malu!!* 

My aunts friend Bridget Welsh and my aunt Norani (MamaNoi)..=)

Soon , the bill came and the payment was made. I was truly astonished at how much it cost. But thankfully, it was a lunch meal promo, if it was a normal price I think I would've fainted.. lolz, ok Im not use to paying so much for food.. But i truly enjoyed my first time experience in a Fine Dining restaurant. Thanks to Bridget..!!! 

All 3 (three) of us after the delicious lunch courtesy of Bridget..

All in all- it was a great experience... And truthfully, I didn't know who Bridget Welsh was. But now i do... lolz, I would keep im opinions to myself... As i do not wanna speak politics here...=) But, She is truly an awesome, inspiring and strong woman. God bless Her always ...=)

Hopefully, there will be another time for me to review a Fine Dining restaurant, till that moment arrives, enjoy my other experience in and about Malaysia..!!

Till next time ~~Toodles!!

Wanna give this place a try ??
Garibaldi Italian Restaurant and Bar
Lot. 10 & G22, Bangsar Village
Jalan Telawi 1
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
03-2282 3456/57