Monday, December 10, 2012

Big Bad Wolf Books Warehouse Sale 2012


The Big Bad Wolf Books sale is back again this year from 7 to 23 December to give us a huge discount on books! This round the warehouse sale promises 3 million books at 75% to 95% discount, at an even bigger venue than last year's, and to top it off, it is easily accessible too! 

Held at the Mines International Exhibition Convention Centre from 9am to 9pm daily, it's directly next door to the Mines Shopping Centre in Seri Kembangan! It's a short walk away from the nearest KTM station, and there are ample parking spaces at the exhibition centre and the shopping centre too.

From my own experiences, for those who plan to buy lots of books, do park in the exhibition centre itself as they have porters who can help to cart your books with a trolley to the exhibition centre's lobby area, where you can drive up to collect your books. Make sure you do have a pass to drive up the lobby area though!

On the other hand, if you are not planning to buy lots, parking in the shopping centre is cheaper, as it's only RM1 on weekdays. It's RM3 on weekends though, which is the same as the exhibition centre. I am not trying to discourage anyone, but do try not to park in the open carpark area outside the exhibition centre, as they charge an exorbitant fee of RM5, which is a high sum since you have to walk so far with your loot of books!

This year's fiction section and children's books are quite well-stocked, so do give yourself some time to browse through the massive selection. Do bring along some water with you as you might find yourself parched after an hour's search for books (what with all the lugging of boxes of books around too!).

Do check out their official website for more information at Big Bad Wolf Books!

The author spent 3 hours shopping at midnight on the first day of the sales since they were open for 63 hours straight. Rest assured that she did not go home with empty hands, instead her whole car boot was full of books at the end of the day!

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Boomshakalaka: Big Bang's Alive Tour in KL draws 15,000 fans!



On Oct 27, I arrived around 4.30pm at Stadium Merdeka to a carnival-like atmosphere, with people hawking their wares of food, drinks, lightsticks and Big Bang merchandise. The massive crowd of fans already queuing to enter the stadium, seemed never ending, snaking their way all around the stadium.

Everyone seems exhausted and sweaty, since there was a downpour earlier, but nevertheless, excitement was in the air. With another half an hour to the time the gates open (the organizers informed that gates open at 5pm), everyone was scrambling to collect their tickets, chow down some early dinner and drinks, and shop at every mini-stall for unofficial merchandise.

Official merchandise from YG were on sale, but my brother only bought the Big Bang collectible badges at RM40 as he deemed the others too expensive (T-shirts were going for around RM100) or not attractive all.

We waited at our entry gate (not so many people were there although it was already 5pm) and suddenly there was a light drizzle. Some put on their raincoats like myself, but after a while it stopped. Meanwhile, we could hear some background music from inside the stadium, especially G-Dragon’s new singles 'One Of A Kind' and 'Crayon' being repeated played. 

At around 5.45pm, the gates opened and there was a ripple of ‘Ahh...’ going through the crowd. Finally we’re going in!! After checking our tickets and bags’ contents at the gate, we were allowed through. It was mayhem, but in an orderly way.

Everyone was running to get the seats or standing positions with the best view. It was only 6pm but already the stadium was fast filling up. We chatted and people-watch, trying to conserve our phone battery life (no cameras allowed in!) till the show starts.

I observed many things: people of all walks of life came all the way to see Big Bang, a Korean boy band. Coming from Malaysians, I would have thought that only a really big international star or Chinese singer could achieve this feat. 

A little girl around 10 years old was accompanied by her father, both dressed in Big Bang T-shirts. It’s so touching the way her father shielded her from the pushy fans, even the fact that he’s here for the night is great enough. A group of ahjummas around my mother’s age were also cool enough to show up among the huge throng of youths.

At around 7.30pm, with half an hour to starting time, the heavens poured. And my, it did poured cats and dogs! Everyone scrambled for their raincoats, yet still unmoved in their seats. It started to slow down around 10 minutes to 8pm, and the crew rushed to wipe the stage down. The crowd started cheering when the finished their task, and the excitement grows! 

At 8.10pm, suddenly the stadium lights went out. Everyone screamed like crazy! Then 'Still Alive' started playing and the big giant screen showed a video of a spaceship which lands on the stage... and wham! It's Big Bang!!

The boys started singing Tonight and when they finished, they made small talk with the audience, pumping up the crowd's excitement. What I loved most was how the members interacted with the crowd in English, without the help of a translator! G-Dragon handled most of the show on his own, with the occasional chip-in by the others.

The most memorable quote from Seungri was "No rain can stop us tonight!", which got a huge roar from the crowd. And no rain came down after that, really!


Highlights of the concert was the hugely successful blue LED ocean when 'Blue' came on, and the Happy Birthday song for TOP which was planned by the fans after they sang 'Haru Haru'. G-Dragon even joined in the fun and sang along!

Even the part where G-Dragon rapped a short medley of 'Crayon' and 'One of A Kind'  with TOP as the beatbox master really blew my socks off as I never knew they were this talented! My favourite solo performance was definitely Daesung's 날개, as he was very interactive with the crowd and everyone was having a real good time singing along.

I came as a fan of K-pop and Big Bang, but I went home as an even bigger fan of both! Rest assured that I will try not to miss another Big Bang concert or any other K-pop concert in the near future! 

Picture credits: Big Bang's official facebook page

The author is now a huge fan of Big Bang. Lately 'Crayon' is on repeat on her playlist!

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

An Enchanting Trip to Colmar Tropicale, Berjaya Hills



The main entrance of Colmar Tropicale evokes the feeling of stepping into a medieval fortress
My parents, two brothers and I arrived at the Bukit Tinggi escapade after an hour’s drive from KL. The roads winding up the mountain were reminiscent of those going up Cameron Highlands, just a tad little wider.

Nestled in the mountains, Colmar Tropicale is a place where you can relax without any interference from the outside world (except with a mobile phone and internet connection) as it is about a 10 minutes drive from the nearest village which is Kampung Bukit Tinggi.

We drove past the entrance gates where we paid for our tickets like any other day tourists although we have booked our rooms for a night. The teller told us that we would receive refunds for the tickets at the hotel reception.

The French village was bustling with tourists when we arrived at 2PM
We parked at the designated basement parking and proceeded to the reception. It was already 2pm and there were a few other guests checking in already. The staff worked efficiently and I was checked in within 5 minutes, very quick and friendly service.

Thank goodness we were in Azalea block, the main block just above the reception area and we did not have to walk far. In Colmar, all the shops are located on ground level, and rooms are all above the shops. There are many different blocks, each named after French flowers.

The spacious queen bed in the second bedroom
Our room was a 2 bedroom suite, and it was very spacious. Split into two different floors, the bottom floor housed the kitchenette, living room and a restroom. Up a steep flight of stairs, we come to a corridor where the left leads to the master bedroom with an attached bathroom and a view of the mountains and gardens below. 

The bathroom and restrooms in the suite were clean and well kept
The second bedroom is a smaller room with the same queen bed as the master bedroom, overlooking the main street. A little restroom is located outside the corridor, just for convenience.

The delicious mushroom pizza at La Flamme for lunch
We went down and had lunch just outside our block at La Flamme, a pizzeria. We had quite a reasonable meal of Hawaiian and Mushroom pizza together without the mushroom soup, though it’s definitely pricier than what we would have paid for the same in KL. (Tip: pack your own food!)

We then hurried to catch the next shuttle to the Japanese village nearby. Shuttles are provided from Colmar to the various attractions on site, such as Animal Farm, Adventure Park, Organic Farm, to name a few.

It then started to drizzle so we were worried we couldn’t reach the Japanese village since we didn’t have umbrellas. Luckily the rain stopped after a journey of twisting through steep roads and we alighted at the foot of a steep staircase that would lead us to the village.

Warning for older folks and the faint-hearted: this trek up to the village is not made for you! My brothers and I were a little breathless after climbing up the staircase, but my parents didn’t take it well. They were already exhausted, and it was just like 20% of the hike up!

We had to walk another gradual slope up that twists around the mountain. We saw a little rest stop and thought (yay!) we had reached. Just to get cheated that it was a resting place for tired legs...

The welcome signboard that made us all so happy!
We soldiered on, and finally we reached a signboard that says ‘Welcome to the world’s first Japanese Tea House in the Tropical Forest’ and we whooped with joy! We looked left and right and saw a signpost that said Japanese Garden and Japanese Tea House are on our left.

And on our left is... no surprise... another staircase leading into a forest! Feeling frustrated, we thought, ‘Hey, why turn back when we have come this far?’ and proceeded to climb up. Luckily, a beautiful Japanese landscaping accompanied us up the hike. We passed by many Japanese inspired sculptures and features as well as trees that are labelled with their names on them. Truly a nature walk!

We reached the Japanese Tea House, where to enter, you have to either pay for a tea ceremony or photo-taking session with rented kimonos by a professional photographer. We opted not to since it costs quite a bomb. Why pay when we can take photos of ourselves in the beautiful setting?

The one and only Ume Tatami Suite in the heart of the Japanese Village
We walked on and passed the superbly expensive, one and only Ume Tatami Suite which costs RM4,800 a night! Personally it looks really Japanese, but I wouldn’t want to be left all alone in the mountains at night. Do you?

The Ryo Zantei Japanese Restaurant is nestled in the beautiful Botanical Garden
After that, we took a walk downhill with little to see, mostly just green growth, and we came back to the Japanese souvenir shop and another turn-off to the Ryo Zantei Japanese Restaurant in the Botanical Garden.

We were so thirsty after the long hike we stopped for a drink at the restaurant. Mind you, a cup of steaming hot green tea costs RM4.25 here! But it’s really all worth it considering the exclusiveness of the place and the beautiful scenery we were dining in.

After that, we decided to skip the botanical gardens to go back to the French village since it’s getting late and we were tired as well.

The author totally fancies a trip to Europe, and found out about the real Colmar town in France through Pinterest. Going to Colmar Tropicale is a half-dream come true without even needing a passport!

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Friday, August 24, 2012

Xia Releases English Single 'Uncommitted'


JYJ's Xia Junsu is back with a bang with his latest English single after the release of his Korean solo album, Tarantallegra!

Titled Uncommitted, Xia shows off his improved English skills in this slow dance ballad. Not bad for someone who practically can't speak the language when he and his JYJ members debuted with an English album 2 years back!

Songwriter Bruce "Automatic" Vandeerver who has worked with The Wanted and Christina Aguilera, praised Xia as one of the best vocalists he has worked with. Amazing, right?

Do check out the sexy music video for Uncommitted below!


Love the background of this music video, somehow I don't get the feeling that this has any connection to K-pop. 

Best of all, Xia's latest image is one that most fangirls would die for... he has taken on a more darker look after his stint in the musical Elizabeth as Tod, the angel of death. So handsome and dashing!

What do you think of Xia's Uncommitted? Do share your thoughts in the comments section below!


The author is a fan of JYJ. Somehow after Xia's latest debut, it's hard for her to stay focused on her first bias in the group. Oh no!

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Thursday, August 16, 2012

B2ST Impresses With Midnight Sun



The B2ST boys are back with their latest album, Midnight Sun, and they sure do impress with their new look and music style!

I haven’t been a fan of B2ST for long as I only started to listen to their music when they released Fiction & Fact last year, but the change in their music to electro-synth pop is interesting and gives a fresh breath of air to K-pop.

The title track, Midnight, is a trendy song that blends electro flares with solid pop melodies. I love the guitar riffs in the opening and closing of this song. Since the song is about longing for a loved one, I can feel the emotions conveyed by the members through the lyrics.

Love the catchy chorus as well! Check out the mini music video for Midnight below!

 
Next up is Beautiful Night, a funky electronica number which makes you wanna dance. The song itself is fun and very B2ST, if you get what I mean.

The boys get the New York swagger on in the music video for Beautiful Night. Do check out their newly revamped looks and the change of scenery!

 
Not Me is special as it combines a traditional Korean instrumental with a jingling, hip-pop beat. The members sing its engaging melodies in that roll-off-the-tongue way they do. Somehow this is my favourite song off the album, with its Spanish-esque tune and sexy vibe.

Written by Junhyung, Not Me chronicles a denial to a lover who thinks she is being cheated on. Junhyung, you didn’t write this for Hara, did you?

Check out their live performance for Not Me below!
 
 
Other tracks on this album include When I Miss You, The Day You Rest, and Dream Girl.

While some have shared that B2ST latest album isn’t much of a bang (yes, if you are comparing it to Big Bang’s Alive), I personally feel that they have made quite a good album.

Maybe sometimes a change in musical direction doesn’t really sit well with everyone, but there are some who welcome changes. 

I think that B2ST latest musical style is refreshing in this competitive K-pop scene and I’m hoping that there is more better materials to come from them in the future!

The author is still lovin' the pocket dance from B2ST's Fiction!

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The Wonder Girls 'Like Money'!

The Wonder Girls is penetrating the English-language market with their brand of K-pop with their latest release Like Money, featuring renowned singer Akon.

Like Money is the second English hit released by the Wonder Girls, with the first being the single The DJ Is Mine. Nevertheless, the Wonder Girls have also released English versions of their Korean songs such as Nobody and Be My Baby.

For the dance single Like Money, the girls transformed into sexy robots who are great at dancing!

Be sure to check out the futuristic music video to Like Money below! Psst... watch out for JYP's funny cameo!


The author is a fan of the Wonder Girls' Nobody. Without it, there would be no K-pop in her life right now! 

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Monday, June 25, 2012

f(x) Returns with ‘Electric Shock’



The girls of f(x) is back with their latest album Electric Shock this summer!

The album features the title track Electric Shock, a fun, catchy and upbeat song, and the girls are dressed in neon colours in the music video. Check out the music video to Electric Shock below!


Other dance songs on the album include Jet, Zig Zag, and Love Hate. Meanwhile, Beautiful Stranger, a track by Amber, Luna and Krystal, is arguably the group’s best song so far in this album.

Beautiful Stranger infuses some R&B vibe into the dance pop track, and the beats in the background coupled with Amber’s great rap and the harmonization from Luna and Krystal makes this a great listen.

Let’s Try, the last track on the album, is a mid-tempo track that winds down the high energy to end the album on a subtle note. While not as outstanding, I find this track more easy-listening than the rest of the over-synthesized dance songs.

SM should stop giving f(x) the unwanted songs and give them ‘real’ songs for a change. It sometimes hurts to see talents like Amber and Luna get overlooked just because their songs are not as popular as other idols.

Hopefully their next comeback would be greater!

The author loves f(x) nonsensical yet addictive tracks such as NU ABO, La-Cha-Ta, and Pinocchio!

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