Cheras is definitely becoming the place to be. Whether you’re heading towards the new Ikea store for meatballs and furniture; checking out Sunway Group‘s newest offering, Sunway Velocity Mall; or getting happily lost in the abundance of shops and restaurants at MyTown, the newest (and pretty huge by the way) mall in Cheras.
MyTown, which is physically connected to Ikea Cheras (shopping is hungry work, you can walk over for hot dogs and curry puffs ;D), opened its doors to public on 16th March. With stores catering to everyone from tech junkies to the fashionistas and everyone in between, MyTown is already becoming one of the more popular malls to visit in KL. And what mall is complete without a Sasa outlet.
Located at Level 1 (lot 23) of MyTown, the corner lot has entrances facing two different directions, so finding Sasa isn’t really an issue. The Sasa store at MyTown has shelves filled with a huge variety of products, testers at the ready, helpful and polite staff, as well as special deals every now and again.
For the opening of Sasa’s new store, we brought along a few of the influencers that we work with to revel in the festivities along with us.
Joyce: The world is undoubtedly overpopulated, and climate change is a magnanimous issue many political bodies tiptoe gingerly around. As it is, the most we should do is ensure we reduce our personal carbon foot prints as best we can. Take responsibility for our taking up space on this earth! I’ve been recycling everything in my home for 7 years now. It doesn’t take much effort to divide trash (paper, tin, plastic, glass, batteries) to drop off at the recycling centre, and it still blows me away how much recyclables I can amass for a 1-2 person home. Sustainable everything is gonna be a way for the future.. or else there will be none #truth
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We are killing Mother Earth with our bad habits and lazy decisions. How many of us have actually done our part in helping preserve the very thing we so valiantly talk about protecting? There will no doubt be excuses: “Even if I devote my life to recycling, I’m still just one person, how much change can I affect?”, or “I wouldn’t know where to start”.
Okay, prepare to be mind blown. It’s easier than you think. Not every good deed you do for the environment requires you to spend endless hours running around and preaching the rights of Mother Earth. Most of the time volunteers are tasked with work not requiring more than a couple of hours, and these hours are usually during the weekend.
You can even contribute just by donating to help fund some of the organizations that work hard to save the environment. You don’t even need to leave the comfort of your desk (or in my case, sofa) to help make sure the next few generations still have flowers on the sidewalks to smell.
I took some time out of my day to look for organizations that aid Mother Earth who are looking for volunteers and donations. There are organizations everywhere, and it is easier to help them than driving to 7-Eleven to buy a chocolate bar (if you donate, that is, volunteering takes a bit more energy and time, but it is oh so mentally and emotionally rewarding).
Below is a shortlist of organizations we personally find in having the most potential to help preserve the environment, along with a summary on what these organizations are about and how you can help them.
The Malaysian Nature Society, which has its roots dating back to as far as 1940, has pioneered conservation and environmental education for over seven decades now. Driven by active and influential society members from all walks of life and professions, while being completely non-profit in nature; the organization is involved in everything from researching and identifying key points of environmental conservation, to managing parks and centers across Malaysia.
The Malaysian Nature Society has collaborated with the Ministry of Education, as well as a private organisation that provided seed funding, to establish the School Nature Club project- also known as KPA (Kelab Pencinta Alam), which is now available at over 318 government schools nationwide.
MNS makes it relatively easy for you to contribute to their cause. You can donateto their Nature Conservation and Education fund, or to a particular project they are currently running. Besides that, they are also open to corporate partnerships and support. As with most NGOs, they are also always looking for volunteers to help them out, or even interns who want to learn what it actually means to be part of an NGO. If you would like to be a member of the Malaysian Nature Society, you can sign up here.
The Malaysian Nature Society
JKR 641 Jalan Kelantan
Bukit Persekutuan
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Ecocentric Transitions is all about teaching individuals and organisations to transition (pun intended) effectively to a more eco-friendly and sustainable way of living. Led by founders Nisha Firdaus and Ly Mun, who when combined, have over 10 years of experience designing, implementing, and coaching others about how to run sustainable-living based projects.
Among the things Ecocentric Transitions preaches is urban sustainability. They help communities, primarily in urban areas (where the use of natural resources is high, and waste is even higher) to implement systems and approaches that will help them become more self-sustaining. This includes being able to grow some of their own food, reduce energy usage as well as implement better waste management procedures.
Ecocentric Transitions encourages participation and collaborations with corporate bodies and organisations which have similar goals, as well as those who wish to do their part to create a more sustainable environment for the benefit of the community. They have a team of dedicated volunteers but are always looking for more to join the cause, who will be tasked depending on their personal qualifications, with facilitating workshops, photography, writing and garden work. They also welcome applications for internships.
A few weeks ago, in between our trips to Melbourne and the Gold Coast, Jun planned a drive down the Great Ocean Road where i made friends with lots of seaweed and kelp and suddenly it’s my favourite thing in the world.
It was a chilly sunrise at Lorne, where i observed a surfer casually go about dipping into the icy ocean. I wasn’t even the least bit inclined to dip my toe in.
Kuala Lumpur is in for a treat, because the Mothership has landed. Kuala Lumpur’s latest premium food truck has already begun making waves in the industry.
The Mothership is the brainchild of Malaysian party starters Alvin Teoh & Hoe Yin (more popularly known as DJs Goldfish+Blink) and their partners Simon Lam (Blink’s brother-in-law), who is the head of kitchen operations, along with VJ Anand (the executive creative director), James Yam and Gerald Quek. The Mothership is the first offering by KAMI (the company started by the partners), and it definitely looks like they’re off to a brilliant start. Blink attributes part of the reason there were minimal hiccups in the planning and implementation stage was due to how these individuals aren’t just partners, but rather, family.
Blink and Simon who are from ‘foodie families’ came up with the idea one day when they were at home talking about the food they’d eaten throughout their travels. Fun fact: Blink’s grandmother is the Madam Kwan of the famed Malaysian Madam Kwan’s franchise, and Simon is a self-taught chef that used to run and manage Chinese restaurants in the UK.
Aside from being probably one of the coolest looking food trucks ever, The Mothership promises that at least 90% of the meals they have to offer are unique and completely new to the food truck industry in Malaysia. Check out the Mothership’s unique take on the hot dog >
The Po Dawg is a fried popiah shell, filled with pulled chicken as its main stuffing, alongside caramelized onions and The Mothership’s special blend BBQ sauce. It is their best-selling item, and definitely a must try.
I’m sure we’ve all experienced it- there comes a time when someone we know, be it a friend or family member, decides to pack his bags and pursue further education overseas. Heck, some of us might have or are planning to make the same decision ourselves. And why shouldn’t we, it’s certainly an exciting opportunity. The adventure of exploring a whole new country, meeting an abundance of people with completely different upbringings, all while being able to acquire the skills and theories necessary to further our careers.
Not many of us know what it’s really like until we walk a mile in the shoes of those who have made this big step in their lives. Is it really all fun and adventure the way our minds let us imagine? I, for one, never having the privilege of continuing my education overseas, often look on with envy as my friends begin their adventures and expressing the experience as perfect through the social media.
And then it hit me, instead of wondering whether this experience was everything that social media has led me to believe, I decided to ask a few friends what their experiences were like. I asked them about the good, I asked them about the bad, and occasionally, I got a lot more information than I thought I was asking for. But anyway, let me share the gist of what I learned from them, with you. Without further babbling, meet the lucky subjects of my little interview >
“Carpe diem moments like going up to Duck & Waffle after clubbing at 4am, or just paying £10 for Nasi Lemak because its oh-so-worth-it”
Achieving straight-As in his A-levels examinations back in 2014, Nicholas earned himself a place within London’s King’s College faculty of academics. Opting for a degree in Economics and Management, you would expect Nicholas to be a perfectionist when it comes to his work, as well as being extremely driven, and you wouldn’t be wrong. That doesn’t mean however, that his life lacks the excitement and thrill of those who spend a little less time with their books.
A self-described ‘altruistic hedonist‘, Nicholas is no stranger to the phrase ‘work hard, play harder’. Whether it be travelling, partying or just casual nights out with his closest friends, Nicholas has probably been there, and has managed to balance his academic duties alongside them successfully.
It wasn’t all fun and games for Nicholas though. Although he decided to think of his time over at the UK as his next big adventure, he mentions it definitely wasn’t easy leaving behind the place he calls home, his family and his friends for such an extended period of time. Having traveled quite a bit before he moved to the UK to pursue his University Degree, it wasn’t the same as this was the first time he was travelling abroad knowing he’d be away from his family and his friends, and knowing that so much could change by the time he returned.
But as with every dark cloud, there is a silver lining. Nicholas talks about how he has experienced so many things in the UK that he probably wouldn’t have been able to should he have had decided to stay in Malaysia. He talks about how travelling to Europe for the weekend was possible, being just a train ride away. Spain and Paris are just a couple of the stamps added to his passport during his semester breaks.
When asked about what advise he has for anyone who is planning to undertake a path similar to his, Nicholas says;
“Do ample research about the university, the course structure as well as the city you will be in. It never hurts to know the facts before making your decision. Also, do make contact with the University’s Malaysian Society, as they are always more than willing to help you adjust to the lifestyle over there, regardless of where you’re going.”
He then adds;
“On a less serious, but no less urgent note, Ipoh White Coffee, Indomie and sambal paste are part of the key necessities to survive when away from Malaysia.”
“If you’re thinking of bringing more things over in hopes of shopping less and saving more money, you know, embracing the ultimate student life… not gonna work out, honey.”
Readers who have read KinkyBlueFairy for a while now would definitely remember April, one of the Fairy Interns at one point of time, as well as a contributing writer to the blog. Initially thinking she would go for an Anthropology major over in the States or Canada, an acceptance letter from London College of Fashion made her realise that fashion was what she really wanted to do, ever since she was a child. Taking a leap of faith, with much support from her parents, April made the decision to pursue Fashion Buying and Merchandising.
Leaving home wasn’t such a big deal for April, who views it as a huge blessing. She mentions like all things new and undiscovered, it was a little scary. But her fears were definitely outweighed by the excitement of discovering new surroundings, meeting new people and getting used to a whole new way of life.
