Volkswagen have some of the best ads ever. You must be one of the 17 million viewers of their Bark Side YouTube vid. If you’re not, you should watch it!
The VW Polo Dad ad was released last May. Vids featuring father/daughter relationships always get me.
One aspect of a brand usually hints at other arenas it excels in, and events are no different for Volkswagen. I went to the Volkswagen. Das Auto. Show 2011 last year in Bukit Jalil, and it had one of the most impressive event set ups i’ve seen in KL.
The interior was minimalist and clean…
There was a radiant assortment of fresh juices and canapés…
Lots of Volkswagen paraphernalia were on sale…
A row of Volkswagen interactive racing car games were placed in a row much to the enjoyment of most guys.
And the best thing… was the huge dome they set up where 3D visuals were projected in 360º around us to form different landscapes that rotated, all while Volkswagen cars drove around the dome!
I even got to behold the new 21st Century Beetle up close…
And spend time mooching around the other models after that, and posed in an Eos!
If you’d like to experience what i did last year, you’d be glad to know that the Volkswagen. Das Auto. Show returns this 2012!
Volkswagen. Das Auto. Show 2012
8th & 9th Sept / Sat & Sun 10AM till late Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
Promising a cinematic experience, car model catwalk and fun photo activities; there will also be a relaunch of an old classic.
It’s a great occasion out with your family and friends, regardless of whether you’re 100% into cars or not. Cars are memang a way of our everyday life in KL, so having a big beautifully-done exhibition with some of the most gorgeous automobiles on the market is a fun way to spend a Sat or Sun!
Admission is free, as was last year’s show. The only difference is that last year you could just walk in, whereas this year you have to register online so that long queues can be avoided. To ensure you get to experience an enjoyable show, make sure you register asap attheiconisback.com.my!
After eating without contemplation across 7 countries for the past 3 months, i’ve decided that my tummy is horrendous enough for me to FORCE myself to work out PROPERLY for the next YEAR. I’m lucky that i put on weight a lot less than most people… yet all the fat seems to go only to my stomach and ass… making me think i might well turn up looking like my grannie whom my aunt refers to as a beach whale. Big body with skinny limbs. Nooooooooooo
I will make sure that doesn’t happen by working out!
Went to a powerplate class yesterday. And suffered so bad… that i couldn’t walk to my car properly after that. I must add that i wasn’t the only one! The two other women in my class were looking as pooped as me in the middle of class. We were hunched over, out of breathe and not looking at anyone. Our (crazyass) instructor Farah went, “You look like you all got beat up!” Yeah. Beat up BY YOU.
Today was worse. I could barely ROLL myself over in bed to check my phone when i woke up. And the whole day has been a sequence of groans and moans to myself in public places cos every muscle in my lower body hurts (i went for a PowerBooty class).
This afternoon, i was paying for my parking ticket in KL when i dropped a coin. It was a 5 cent coin and i was well ready to just LEAVE it on the ground cos it hurt too much to pick it up. But an old lady was right behind watching me, so i felt inclined to try to get it. I bent over… and i just… couldn’t… reach… any further! I HURT too much to pick up the damn coin!
What happened in the following three seconds was pretty embarrassing. The old lady bent over to pick up my coin as i was pathetically hovering over it, unable to bend any further, and she passed me the coin.
I have so many travel posts to write (Sweden, London, France) that i’m not sure whether to go backward or forward…! Gonna post about Myanmar first since it was the most recent trip.
Clem has been dying to go there for years, since european friends and family of his have told him how beautiful it is, along with Sri Lanka (which we visited last year). So when the public holidays for 2012 were announced in Jan, i crossed out all the weeks we could take off for long trips and planned for us to go during Raya break cos Clem would only need to take a few days’ leave for us to get a 9-day stretch. If you wonder how you ensure a holiday happens – PLAN AHEAD! If you apply for leave months ahead, noone can say anything when it’s time for you to hop on your flight. Unless you have terrible holiday luck/boss.
Myanmar sounds all exotic and unknown to many of us… i know of only TWO friends in KL who’ve been there. The first thing we had to sort out for our trip was the visa. It’s easy to apply for, but just a major hassle cos you need to give all these documents which i only found out about by calling the Myanmar Embassy. Getting them to pick up alone is a major feat. Secondly, there are specific timeframes to pick up your visa and they HAD to make it 4-5pm i.e. the WORST time to be on Jalan Ampang. When i was queueing up (really slow queue too! even tho it’s just to drop off docs or pick up visa) i overhead a guy saying he’s doing the visas for people for RM30/person and i mentally whacked myself for not hiring someone to do it for us.
Anyway. Besides the visa, cash was the next big priority. We can only change pristine USD to Myanmar kyat (pronounce ‘chat’), and it’s unadvisable to withdraw money there (basically, you can’t). I visited my neighborhood money changer to change USD2000 for the both of us and he guessed where i’m going when i said i need perfect bills, “You must be going to Myanmar, Indonesia or Vietnam.”
“Myanmar,” i said.
His response… “WHY?!”
“Urm, we heard it’s really beautiful?”
“Okay. Have a good holiday.”
Er…
Back to the cash. We ended up spending RM2500/person for 8 days of travel in Myanmar, which isn’t cheap! Accommodation is alright, but food and transport added up to a lot. We had enough time to visit Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake if we took flights and boat, which amounted up to USD310/person. That’s for three internal flights and one boat trip. Our internal traveling cost three times our ticket from KL to Yangon!
Some pictures from my instagram (follow me on joycethefairy) before i post up in detail on each location with pictures from my EPL-3.
Food in Myanmar was really interesting. I love the local dishes they have served with rice. As is common in the IndoChine area, their dishes focus on salty, sweet, bitter and sour elements. There’s Western food available every where we went, but it’s another thing whether you hit jackpot and order something nice or not.
These pancakes were jackpot. Mango + choc + banana ones. Legend.
These were taken in Bagan, whose terrain is covered with THOUSANDS of payas and temples as far as the eye can see, mostly built from the 11th-13th Century. It’s a marvelous sight. Nothing i’ve even seen in my life.
The only downside i had was how some of the temples were really dirty inside (especially the ones on hills and mountains)… Everyone is required to take off their shoes and socks when entering any holy area, and some of the places had different types of animal shit on the ground. Bat shit, dog shit, cat shit, monkey shit – i must have stepped on particles of them all at some point. The OCD in me was screaming bloody murder, ‘E coli! E coli!’ was replaying in my head, and Clem was calling me a diva. But i was stoutly indignant (and a bit grouchy too). Seriously, can you tell me you LIKE stepping in shit in your bare feet? As you can see, this is the kind of place you go to backpack, and not for a glamourous holiday. I told Clem i’m a backpacker with special needs (i.e. air con, hot water, wet wipes). I desperately wished for my hand sanitizer then and condoned myself for not bringing it.
I had to insert my hair colour as ‘purple’ when applying for my visa. Hair courtesy of Alex at The Met.
Taken from inside a temple. How intensely beautiful is that!
We climbed up one of the taller temples to watch the sun set. While waiting, i tried counting as many payas i could easily see, and reached 100 before my eyes started squinting too much.
Taking reign over a different part of Bangsar, are three new boutiques called Bazarro, Unity and Loaded Inc. It’s where Zinc used to be, if you’re familiar with the now defunct art gallery. Bazarro is of more interest to me cos it’s all girl’s stuff, whereas Unity and Loaded Inc. are men’s, but they’ve got some sick shades too, which you’ll see pictured later on.
Bazarro is a cooling space where i escaped the KL heat&haze from in relief. Decorated with dark wood, dim lighting, old armchairs and wooden crates; it slyly speaks to you as a hip chill place where the clothes and accessories are the focus. Described as a multi-label boutique where all good things come together, Bazarro handpicks fresh and inspiring labels in SEA for the ever-discerning shopper in KL.
Chiyo is a local brand that’s stocked in Australia. They also have shoes like the pair below. I heard they’re unsuspectingly comfy.
Stolen is a line designed by Elyn Wong, and is mostly available in Singapore. The brand’s signature style seems to be clean aesthetics, subtle asymmetry and bare backs. Lots of bare backs. I read on another blog that every single piece from Stolen promotes showing off your bare back. I like. I like very much indeed.
Veira bags from Singapore have vintage silhouettes infused with a contemporary touch. Their envelope clutches feel superb IRL. Red one on right is RM258.
Semi-precious stone accessories from By Invite Only, a Singapore-based jewelry line. I was sooo tempted to buy one but refrained. I’d just changed USD1000 for my Myanmar trip and was feeling poor. I’m a fan of their pieces tho, and think they’d make a great present for ANY girl who loves accessories.
I always nod in approval when i hear of students who take the time and effort to put together a fund-raising event for charity. It’s not an easy thing to do, what with all the studies and exams taking place all year round, supporting charities doesn’t leave much time for play!
An interesting topic that popped into my mailbox is THE Benefit, a project organized by a team of Malaysian youth who are currently on their summer break off from unis all around the world. With a desire to channel their time and efforts into something worthwhile, they’ve worked to plan a charity concert featuring local bands, dancers and DJs happening this 8th September.
All profits from the concert will be donated to MERCY Malaysia.
The first time i heard about MERCY Malaysia was when Deep told me his experience volunteering for the NGO in Afghanistan years ago. It sounded pretty crazy and compelled me to learn more about the organization, but i never got the balls to actually volunteer overseas like he did.
“MERCY Malaysia is a non-profit homegrown international NGO focusing on providing medical relief, sustainable health related development, and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Their work includes the operation of mobile clinics to provide free check-ups and treatment to the underprivileged, as well as water treatment in vulnerable communities. MERCY has reached out to more than 1 million beneficiaries and is present in 19 countries and counting.”
THE Benefit aims to raise RM30,000 to support MERCY Malaysia’s altruistic work around the world. In order for the event to be a success, they need more people to know about the concert and it would be great if you could spread the word about the event on your respective twitter/fb/blogs too!
I have 4 pairs of Premium Passes to give away to random winners. All you have to do is tweet/post on your FB wall/blog about the event and email the URL link to joycethefairy@gmail.com by 2nd September 2012. Please entitle your post “THE Benefit charity concert”.
