Makan-logue #4: the Upstairs cafe, Subang Jaya.

 

Its very important to me, that I have a place to escape to with my lappie, sipping a good cup of hot chocolate, inhaling the air with a slight twinge of the aromatic scent of coffee. I have been in search for my second home for a while now, and so far, thanks to a great chef friend of mine, Rick who've introduced me the place, only the Upstairs Cafe came close to my standards in terms of its ambiance, food and coffee. Here's why the Upstairs Cafe located opposite Subang Jaya Medical Center (SJMC) is on top my list for the perfect short, much needed, getaway.

Ambiance.

The perfect place to chill with your friends or even if you are like me, the perfect place for a short escape. With wooden furniture and parquet of warm soft shades of brown and cream, accented with alittle red and white cushions, lit by dimmed fluorescent light perfect for reading, made me fall in love with the place completely the moment I reached the end of the staircase. Yes, you will have to go up the staircase for the cafe, hence the name. The very reason why I loved the place is simply because of the soft scent of aromatic coffee beans which somewhat helps me feel relaxed and right at home. The Upstairs cafe is the perfect place to be if you want to feel cosy and comfortable.

Food.

I have so far tried its Spaghetti Bolognese and have loved it the instant I tasted it. The full sweet and sourish tomato taste with the strong smell of melted Parmesan cheese all mixed together with the homemade pasta and minced beef is not only appetizing to look at, but believe me, it tastes really good too. The pasta, only RM8, what a steal!

I've also tried its onion cheese quiche. This is actually my very first time trying a quiche. Nothing big though, its what I would call, a savory open pie cause its fillings are usually chopped meat, vegetables, and cheese. The onion cheese quiche was good, really. I have always loved the combination of cheese and caramelized onions been it on pizzas, breads and even now, quiche. The fragrant smell of the onion with a twinge of onion sweetness combines with the saltiness of the cheese is perfect. And the quiche is only RM 8.50.

Cakes. This is my favorite part. What good is a coffee shop if it is without good cakes right? I have only tried its blueberry cheese cake for now(am making it a point to try all their cakes one day) and I loved it. I am a big fan of blueberry cheese since the very first time I had it in Genting, about a decade back. I haven't found any so far which could top that until now. I have a weird thing with cheese. I never liked frozen cheese, the reason being I hate the pungent smell of the cheese but I love the fragrant smell of melted cheese once the heavy pungent dairy smell is gone. And this is why, I only take cheese cakes with a thicker cookie base. Another plus point, they use digestive biscuits which naturally already have a smell and taste that I like. Best of all is, they use big natural blue berries to top off the cheese cake. I really like the natural sweet taste of the blueberries and the cheese. A slice of blueberry cheese cake, only for RM 6.50. They have a variety of other cakes too but their best seller is the red velvet, which I am planning to give it a try on my next getaway.

Coffee.

I am pretty boring when it comes to coffees. Its either frappucinos or hot chocolate. And so far, I have tried their mocha frappucino and also Rick's caramel macchiato. The rich taste of coffee with the chocolatey taste of the chocolate at the end of every sip won me over. I'm not a big fan of caramel so, I didn't really like the caramel macchiato, but apparently, Rick, a student-chef approves of the macchiato and said that its hard making a good macchiato like this one. So, good cups of coffees, checked only at RM 8.50 for the frappe and RM 8 for the macchiato.

So here I am, sharing my favorite getaway spot with you. I will be there at least once a week, so if you spot me there, make sure you say hi! Also, know that the food and beverages served here are all homemade, 

yes that includes their cakes which are outsourced by homemakers in Subang.

My take on the Upstairs Cafe, Subang? Ambience: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Coffee: 8/10

Price: 7/10

Upstairs Cafe 

(Located above the famous Kafe Bawang Merah owned by his father)

1st Flr, 12A, Jalan SS12/18

Subang Jaya, Selangor

Opening Hours: 3:00pm-11:00pm, Mon-Sat

Closed: Sun

Tel: 03-5611 9171

MTV World Stage 2011!

MTV World Stage is back again in Malaysia! And this time, they are back, bigger and better! Remember how Katy Perry was here last year to wrap the whole show? This year they've brought in big names like 30 seconds to mars, Neon Trees and even the Korean heartrobs, the Beast alongside our Malaysian pride, PoPshuvit with their famous Mara Bahaya to close their act. 

Check out some of the pictures I've taken with my iPhone cause MTV decided that it is unwise for the patrons to be bringing in cameras, oh and also any drinks from outside. Cameras I understand, but drinks? All thanks to them, tons of the girls, even guys who have been there since 10am in the morning, fainted by the end of the day.

The Beast.

VJ Utt and VJ Holly.

This was how close I was.

Tyler Glenn from Neon Trees took charge of the stage!

  

Thats Tyler on screens.

Here's my favorite two for the night, Neon Tree's hit single, Animals.

and 30 Second to Mars' Hurricane.

iMovieBuff: Harry Potter 7: The Deathly Hallows II.

*So this is bidding farewell to a friend whom we have became so fond of for the past decade.

Yes, I know, Voldemort's face, memang nak kena pukul.

But anyhows, here's what I think of HP coming from a huge fan of the book.

Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, young, clean and cute, 2001.

I know this felt like it was just yesterday right? I have been a Harry Potter fan since the very first book (Ya call me a Hairy Pottie nerd.) but never the movie really. I have always felt that the movie never really do the book justice except for the very first one(The Sorcerer's Stone). Though I have diligently went to the cinemas for every sequel only to have excited the hall with disappointment, but to my delight, the last(The Deathly Hallows) and final episode was not that much of a disappointment.

The trios once again, 2011, all grown up, the same but perhaps with extra hair at unforeseen areas now.

And so, why did I hate HP2-6 and loved HP1&7? If you have read the book, I think you would pretty much agree with me. But anyhow, here's why:

#1. Terrible story telling.

Seriously, I have always wondered, how can anyone in their right mind, understand what the hell is the movie trying to tell the audience? I honestly couldn't understand the whole brilliant idea and story of Harry Potter if I did not read the books myself. I remembered, even though I have read the books, I was very much blurred myself when they did a 5 chapter long story and details into a 5 minutes scene. Imagine how much important details were left out!

#2. Terrible actors.

I am not shy to say this, but Daniel Radcliffe must have been the worse candidate to be Harry Potter. For starters, he can't act for reals, well, that is at least till HP7(He surprised me with his performance in this sequel, it was satisfactory). And not to mention them choosing people like Robert Pattinson(Edward Cullen from Twilight) for the supposedly MOST handsome student in Hogwards, Cedric Diggory. I'm sorry, I might be a bit bias, cause as a girl, I was really looking forward to see who this handsome dude is going to be, and when HP4 came out, it was again, another let down.

oh, if you din't know, Wormtail don't look like this. He's a lot shorter and fatter.

#3. Terrible effort in depicting the story.

Okay, maybe this couldn't be counted as one of the reasons cause different people have different imagination, but yes, for me, so far, the different directors haven't really depicted the story in the way I best imagine the wizardry world to be. So yes, wasn't satisfied at how the monsters looked like, the building/ place looked like, and how the story was told. *bizzz* There goes another no-no buzz.

But then, like I said, I was happy with Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows both part 1 & 2 and I'm glad that they have decided to make the movie into two parts, a decision I believe they should have taken a few chapters back. So here's why I am glad that the legacy of HP ended this way:

#1. Short and sweet.

And by short and sweet, I meant, they finally succeeded in telling the story in the most compact way without leaving out any important information out. I believe, in HP7, if you have not read the book, you still wouldn't leave the cinema feeling "What just happened??" after 2 hours of staring into the huge idiot box. Atleast, you know what happened to Voldemort and why the Elderwand did not reciprocate to him. They have successfully shorten the 600++ pages of HP7 into an altogether 5 hours movie and I believe, they deserve a clap for it. The only thing that they left out which I felt was important was how Neville Longbottom(acted by Matthew Lewis) actually plays a huge role in the HP story. Yea, many of you might not know that actually that plump red cheeked boy, is actually as important as Harry Potter in the story.

#2. Better depiction of the story.

I really think that the director, the team actually, has done a better job in depicting the story closer to my expectation. With the whole "cool" charm that the wizards casts at the end of the show to protect Hogwarts against You-Know-Who, is pretty cool actually. Also not to mention the whole war against good and evil. How they portray the giants and monsters, really well done. But one thing is, I remembered from the books, that the forest creatures were supposed to be on the good side but in the movies however, it was the other way round. So yes, that is one glitch that has kept me wondering. All in all, action scenes, checked.

#3. Better acting skills.

I'm serious when I say I approve of Daniel Radcliff's acting skills. He was definitely much better this time around. And also how Emma Watson and Rupert Grint injected humor and romance into the story to give the whole story a different light, that adds up the commercial value to the movie and also projected how J.K. Rowling's intention in bringing Hermione and Ron together. In this chapter also, to make it more marketable, if you noticed, they have decided to drop the Brit'ish accent, yes, pun intended. Its a smart move really.

It was a huge movie premier in UK two weeks ago where big names which we have grown to love, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, go separate ways. It was a very touching scene at London when the three of them, bid farewell to Harry Potter.

Check this video on the last 10 minutes to the live premiere in London, and hear how the trios and Queen Rowling bid their goodbyes to Harry Potter:

So, I rate HP7 part 2 a 8/10, extra points just cause I'm bias. But do catch the movie, even if you haven't been a Pottie fan since the very beginning. 

No story lives unless someone wants to listen... The stories we love best do live in us forever. So, whatever you come back by page or by big screen Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home
-Queen Rowling

Miss World Malaysia 2011 Finalists.

*Behold boys, be prepared for 25 bombshells! You have been warned.

Beauties with Brains, that's what they call them. The Miss World Malaysia title, is very different from other beauty pageants because not only that the girls will have to be a beauty themselves, they have to be all together beautiful from the inside out too. The Miss World Malaysia will have to have a big heart for charity, intelligent and must be an all-rounder. And after an agonizing six-months search, here's the 25 finalists for your eyes only!

1. Flora Oh Swee Lian
2. Eliza Tang Siong Heng
3. Gail Tan Mun Yee
4. Desiree Tan Xiao Ci
5. Lavania J. Balasingam
6. Kavita Kaur Chopra
7. Yong Wan Jun
8. Carron Kho Siew Ching
9. Karen Koey Huey Ling
10. Laura Loh SIao Min
11. May Salitah Naru Kiob
12. Penny Lim Pei Huan
13. Celine Chan Wai San
14. Kohinoor Kaittiani
15. Cherish Lim Mei Yen
16. Jessica Fang Yun Ying
17. Chua Yee See
18. Lee Yvonne
19. Lilian Lee Zeyein
20. Gaayathri Raj
21. Pamela Tam Mei Yun
22. Chloe Chen TIen Nee
23. Evelyn Huan Poh Chin
24. Priyalakshimi Rayer
25. Janet Bennet

The girls and the organizers.

Nadia Heng, Miss World Malaysia 2010.

Some of the girls, Kavita, Mun Yee, Carron.

The girls will under go a one month training starting 21 July 2011 till the finale show where the Miss World Malaysia 2011 will be crowned on the 20 August 2011 at Sunway Pyramid Convention Center. They will be groomed professionally by the 1973 Miss World Malaysia, Maggie Loo, Miss Winnie Loo from ACut Above and many others to prepare them to represent Malaysia for the international Miss World pageant this year. 

So people, be honest now, who's your favorite?

Hollywood WAXXXing babeehhh!

I'm not sure if you guys are big fans of happy endings, but I know I am a huge fan of one. So yes, how does happy endings got anything to do with Hollywood waxing? Well, take a look at this picture below:

I'm sure you know this guy from 2008, when he planned a RM54, 000 proposal for his wife(then girlfriend, Kelly Tan) one of the hotspots for billboards along the LDP highway at Kelana Jaya. Well if you don't know, then you can read it all from here. And here's some of their wedding pictures beautifully shot by Adam Ong's wedding photography.

Again, why am I telling you this? That's because most fairy tale stories don't tell you what happens after "and they lived happily ever after", here's what happens.... They got into WAXXXing business!

Yes, if you didn't know, the romantic duos got together and started their own chain of businesses and WAXXX is one of their business. Some other bloggers and I got invited by Mandy to try first hand the professional services that they have got to offer. And yes, there goes my virgin Hollywood waxing. Even the guys were manly enough to give Manllywood a try!

 Happy patrons.

Yes, WAXXX offers a every type of hair removal on your body parts you can think of! From the most common areas, to even your pubic areas. And worry not, you are in safe hands. WAXXX only offers professional services and their waxers are all trained professionals. So if you worry about waxing damaging your skin or even hurting a hell lot, believe me, I've tried it, and have survived with a satisfied smile when I left the shop. 

What I love most about WAXXX not only for their courteous and professional services but also for their imported professional wax which smells so good and gentle to the skin and their comfortable ambience which actually helps in getting the jitters off you while you wait for your turn. Most importantly, hygiene is always on the top of their priorities and they ensure that everything used by every customer is disposed after every usage. Oh, and not only do they remove hair from every part of your body, they also offer a range of treatments for your after wax as well as to reduce hair growth.

Also, here's what some other blogger's said about WAXXX:

 You are guaranteed to be in safe hands with every visit to WAXXX. Hygiene is number one on their list of things to take care of when it comes to their customers, followed very closely by customer satisfaction. Their utilities and tools are sterilized with hospital-grade disinfectants, and  the spatulas used during every session are never double-dipped. Each and every wooden spoon was promptly disposed off after every wax application to ensure optimum cleanliness. -Karmun-

 WAXXX specializes in top-notch hair removal services for both male and female, head to toe. Their wide range of services cover temporary hair removal, to permanent hair reduction, using only the best quality wax, lotions and creams imported from mainly Australia and the USA. Waxes used are also all specially formulated to give the least pain in every waxing experience. They carry a wide variety of formulas for customers to choose from, whether you’re looking to lighten sensitive areas from discolouration, prevent future ingrown hair after waxing, or just to moisturize dry parts of your delicate lady bits! -Karmun-

 

I always believe that keeping ourselves clean is whats most important. Well, people say that the outlook and appearance doesn't matter, I say bullsh*t. I mean, really. You will have to at least look presentable if not you would scare everyone away, no? Also, cleanliness is not only for appearance, its also for our health and hygiene. Believe me, after getting a Hollywood, I felt much cleaner overall and most importantly, during my menses.

And best of all, WAXXX is now giving out a 40% discount for first timers on all types of waxing as their opening promo from their already very affordable prices. So what are you waiting for? LIKE then on their Facebook page to get updates on the latest promotions that they have as well! And so, with my little sister down there happy, I am certified a satisfied customer. I know I would definitely make WAXXX my chosen waxing parlour to maintain my mane every month.

WAXxx Hair Removal Experts,

J-G-17 Jalan PJU 1/43,Aman Suria,

47301 Petaling Jaya,Selangor Darul Ehsan

T: +603 7880 5588F: +603 7880 1808