Editor’s Note – March 2018


[Editor’s Note]
An Evening of Opera & Champagne at IVIV(Onesixfive) Lounge & Wine Bar, Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur

 
My partner in crime and I recently attended “An Evening of Opera and Champagne” at the IVIV (ONESIXFIVE) Lounge and Wine Bar in InterContinental® Kuala Lumpur which was organised in  partnership with the Laurent-Perrier Champagne House and Kuala Lumpur City Opera.
The event was the first of a series which will happen every Friday from 7.00PM till 8.30PM at the lounge, featuring a combination of beautiful opera music, fine champagne and chic ambience. Guests can enjoy a sophisticated evening of live opera entertainment together with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne at RM130nett. Alternatively, the in-house sommelier at IVIV (ONESIXFIVE) Lounge and Wine Bar will be on hand to assist should guests prefer to select a bottle from the comprehensive wine list of more than 100 unique wine selections from more than 10 countries.
Providing the entertainment for the evenings will be vocalists and musicians from the Kuala Lumpur City Opera. The events also serve to provide a unique stage for the best emerging local talents to showcase their skills and to gain exposure while entertaining hotel guests.
The chic ambience of IVIV (ONESIXFIVE) which is fringed by a tropical garden and cascading waterfall by day with ambient lighting in the evening, provides a sophisticated setting for an evening to suit opera buffs and beginners alike. Lean back and enjoy the music as opera soloists and pianist transport guests through the ages of opera with popular arias from Mozart, Donizetti, Fauré, Bizet and more.
  
We got to enjoy Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee Brut, a champagne from the Laurent-Perrier house with over 200 years of heritage.

We were mightily impressed by the performances of the talented vocalists as well as the pianist
  
Forthcoming solo performances on Fridays:
Session 1: 7:00pm – 7:15pm
Session 2: 7:25pm – 7:40pm
Session 3: 7:50pm – 8:05pm
Session 4: 8:20pm – 8:30pm
 
Limited seats are available for each performance, and advance reservation is recommended.
For reservations or more information, telephone +603 2782 6168 or email to foodandbeverage@intercontinental-kl.com.my or head over to kualalumpur.intercontinental.com
  
Thanks for having us!
 

 
Havan Clothing – Helping Kids in Need

 
The name “Havan” is derived from Hany & Ivan – the couple who loves connecting with children. Hany, a child counselor by profession, stresses the importance of developing a child’s EQ from a young age. Since 2016, she has been volunteering her time at a children’s shelter home to provide free EQ lessons to the children aged between 7-12 years old. Over 4 months of teaching and learning with the children, she noticed positive changes among them.  It made her believe that those lessons should continue so that they can benefit more children.
Ivan too witnessed the impact and was fueled by his passion to empower the children in a positive way. Furthermore, he adored the children and their creativity, and believes that they should be recognized and appreciated by the adults. As an MBA graduate, Ivan believes that a business is meant to solve a social problem. Thus, Havan Clothing was born to transform a child’s creative expression to valuable acceptance simply through printing their artwork on fashionable pocket-tees.
Havan Clothing is a social enterprise that serves 2 main purposes. Firstly, Havan Clothing aims to connect adults and children. Children often communicate their world through art. However adults may unwittingly disregard and underestimate the meaning behind it, resulting in the children feeling unappreciated and unacknowledged. Havan Clothing hopes to inspire adults to stay connected with the children. By infusing their genuine artwork with our daily lives, adults can learn to appreciate and recognize the value of a child’s creation.
Secondly, part of the profit made by Havan Clothing will be channeled to fund the EQ lessons for shelter home children.  The couple has a strong belief that developing a high EQ community cannot be done without the support of the community itself. Therefore, sufficient funds are needed to continue to develop and spread EQ lessons to more children.
Havan Clothing leaves the creative direction entirely up to the children while the company focuses solely on ensuring the printing, fabric, and cutting are of optimal quality, coupled with fair prices.
 

 
For more info, head over to www.havanclothing.com
 

 
The End of an Icon
Photo from A&W Malaysia’s Facebook page. Can you believe that this is the best photo of their iconic drive-in on the page?
 
To kill some time before a night event, I decided to pay one last visit to the first A&W along Lorong Sultan in PJ State before the building is demolished to make way for a commercial development. In a way, I’m rather sad to see this iconic building go, being the first A&W and fast food restaurant in Malaysia, starting an era of (rather unhealthy ha ha!) fast food in Malaysia.
I had some fond childhood memories at the drive-in such as attending my friend’s birthday parties with the big bear mascot coming out to take pic with us. Some of my fondest memories though has got to be going with my parents a couple of times a year when I was still in primary school. We would sometimes have dinner or supper in the car if there was space, or dine in the restaurant if we were having waffles and ice cream. 
Back to my visit, upon closer inspection, it’s (sadly) very obvious that the Malaysian franchise owners have really neglected the building. The tiles are cracked, the restroom in quite a dilapidated and stinky condition, stained floors, hand-drier by the wash basins gone, etc. etc. Although the outlet is relatively clean, it is a sad shadow of its former glory.
The food quality (rather surprisingly) is pretty decent, with the coney dog still delicious and the root beer floats still cold, although rather overpriced if compared to McD or KFC. The counter staff were polite and efficient (another surprise!), but those were the only positives about this place.
It’s as if the Malaysian franchise owners lost their pride and passion in running this business (which is a pity because there are many patrons dining there when I was at the outlet) and are only running it to make as much money as possible before their time is up and the principal pulls the franchise from them.
I’ve noticed this to be a disturbing trend among many F&B establishments in the Klang Valley which exist to make a quick buck OR to flip their business for a handsome profit, cutting corners along the way. On the other hand, there are restaurants like DC in TTDI who take tremendous pride in what they do, and they are handsomely rewarded for it (the restaurant was fully booked for a week leading up to Valentine’s Day!).
Anyway my point is that passion, pride, and ethics are (intangible yet integral) factors that do play quite an important role in the success or failure of a business.
And back to the original topic, I’m glad that this building will be put out of its misery. So long A&W drive-in Lorong Sultan, and thanks for the memories!
  

 
In Loving Memory of Evelyn Ang Loo

  
Evelyn Ang Loo (http://www.missyblurkit.com/) was one if not the most warm, genuine and hands-down nicest bloggers I know. No airs about her and she was always humble even though she was a pretty senior figure in the industry  unlike those young, narcissistic and entitled bloggers/ influencers.
She was a person with ethics and principles – refusing to buy fake followers after a PR agency asked her to do so to get a project.
Those qualities made her a person who was loved and well-liked by clients and peers alike, and was a beacon of light in the often superficial industry.
She was always nice to whichever girl I brought with me to dinners, and didn’t look at them with prejudice/ disdain unlike some “senior” industry figures who think they are all that. This was why I always preferred to sit with her and hubby Dennis whenever possible.
Such a loss. You will be missed Evelyn.
In memory of Evelyn Ang Loo. 13 April 1973 – 1 March 2018