An Evening With Chef Emmanuel Stroobant & U.S Potatoes

 Let's just all admit it : we have a die-hard love for potatoes! As Malaysians, there seems to be a potato dish at any meal in any household on any given day! Think about it, we have hash browns in the morning during breakfast, some mashed potatoes during lunch with some fried chicken, a bag of potato crisps as snacks, chunks of potatoes in our curry dinner, and maybe some french fries for supper/yimcha sessions/beer time.

That's pretty much why it is so darn important to have quality potatoes when having them! So, the next time you're at the supermarket, pick up some USA Potatoes. Potatoes USA is the marketing organization for the 2,500 commercial potato growers operating in the United States.  They promote five main good quality potato products: fresh table-stock potatoes, fresh chipping potatoes, seed potatoes, frozen potato products and dehydrated potato products.

As proof that the humble potato can also be a star ingredient in a world-class restaurant or even in your own home, is Chef Emmanuel Stroobant!

Born in Belgium, he took a chance in 1997 and decided to make Kuala Lumpur his first stop and after a few years of grueling hard work, he was awarded the "1999 Best Expatriate Chef' by World Asia Media.It will be in that same year, Chef Emmanuel and his wife Edina move to Singapore to open their first restaurant that will become a Michelin star restaurant and the only Singapore member of the world renown Relais & Chateaux- a prestigious association of the world's finest hotels and restaurants.

Here in Shangrila Resort, Kota Kinabalu, he showcased his culinary skill, wit, humor and love for food. Demonstrating in detail how he would use USA potatoes as the main ingredient for 4 dishes.
Let's get to it!

US Potato Wedges with Ikura

Eggs Benedict with Hashbrown

Us Potato with Caviar

US Russet Potato Salad with Squid

Stunning in execution, presentation and taste! Loved how Chef Stroobant was able to explain and describe each dish he made with such enthusiasm and passion! I was definitely a believer now that something as simple as a US Potato can really bring a dish to another level and boy, am i ready to impress my friends and family during the next dinner hosted in my home!

It's pretty sad to know that potatoes have had such a bad rep in recent years as a food item to avoid while on a diet or on a journey to healthier eating habits. Consultant Dietitian and founder/owner of Indra Balaratnam Nutrition, gave a insightful talk on all the nutritional benefits of US Potatoes!

Did you know that potatoes are a rich source of iron and vitamin C? They give just as much energy as a banana too! It's a pretty eye-opening talk that Indra gave us, totally debunked so many myths that surrounded the potato.

Thank you to the good people of USA Potatoes! It was an enjoyable and educational night on a misunderstood vegetable. I can't wait to experiment with new recipes with my bag of USA Potatoes!

Miss Queen of Clubs 2012 : Are You The Ultimate Socialite?

Miss Malaysia Queen of Clubs has finally  reached our shores! 

Are you guys ready to be entertained 

by genuinely beautiful women of all sizes and various talents? 

ANNOUNCEMENT

I'm a little shy but really honored, 

thank you Calista Liew and Ripples Consultancy
 for inviting me to be the guest judge 

at Lava, on the 5th of October 2012 (Friday)! 

so excited to be invited as guest judge!

http://www.facebook.com/charlottefong.blog?ref=hl 

With that said, 

I'm hoping those of you around Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

 will join the fun at Lava, Karamunsing Capital that night. 

Show these girls with real curves and talent some love! 

All the best to all the Queens!

To be kept updated, join their Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/MsQueenOfClubs

And to see the beautiful women in action as they compete with each other 

to be crowned as the Queen of Clubs,

check out the list of dates and venues here. 

http://www.facebook.com/notes/ms-queen-of-clubs/sabah-pageant-schedule-for-each-of-the-clubs-and-the-sabah-state-final/441437609228080

Not restricted to the boring regulations and requirements as used by many other beauty pageants, Miss Malaysia Queen of Clubs is set to breathe some fresh air into the familiar yet repetitive world of pageants. 

Focusing mainly on the personality and charm of the contestants, there are no restrictions such as height or size - as long as you are female by birth, 18 -35 years old and non-Muslim, the world is your stage!!

Proud Sponsors: 

 Rip Curl 

Official Venues

B.E.D.

 Shenanigan's

Lava

Superstar

Official Shopping Mall

 Suria Sabah

Official Restaurant 

Fullhouse

Official Magazine

 Breeze

Official Hair and Makeup

 SNIPS

Official Photographer

Seri Gaya Studio

Official Videographer

 Gang Kapak

Miss Earth Sabah 2012 : Press Conference

 The ultimate compliment 

to any girl would definitely be

"A beauty with brains."

*pssst...guys, take note!*

Miss Earth Sabah 2011 - Olivia Vun

 I've only heard of Miss Earth Sabah beauty pageant last year when my sister asked me to vote for her friend who is the current reigning Miss Earth Sabah 2011 queen - the very beautiful and brainy Ms Olivia Vun. I had the opportunity to talk to her and she was indeed an amazingly warm and down-to-earth lady. No doubt deserving her win last year.

When I was asked to attend the Press Conference of the Miss Earth Sabah 2012 at Sutera Harbour yesterday, I thought to myself :  "Urghhh.... ANOTHER beauty pageant?! "

I had an extremely bad experience with witnessing a beauty pagent and i was left disgusted and sorely disappointed. Read all about it in my previous post by clicking this  [ Link ] . But, knowing my good friend Mr Rungitom who is into alot of great quality events, i decided to face my fears and accepted the invite.

I've been to a few of Mandy Nandu Events (MNE) and i must say, good and honest work always translate to good events. This beauty pageant is definitely no exception. 

The 12 Finalists of Miss Earth 2012

What i really like about this beauty pageant is that, it doesnt only focus on how pretty the young ladies are, but how much they cared about the environment, especially Sabah's environment. 

It has got be a great event when you have the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun approval and support. Great job and heartiest congrats to the Organizing team!  

Miss Earth Sabah aims to highly and practically educate the young girls in Sabah to help create awareness for themselves, their families and especially the community of Sabah to be more serious in saving and protecting the environment. Throughout the competition, apart from enrolling themselves in programs that emphasize strongly on environmental protections, the participants are also required to attend various environmental activities, where they are given the opportunity to practice and voice out their green thoughts and ideas. Besides that, this event also aims to showcase and promote various tourist destinations in Sabah.

Watering the plant symbolizing the launch of Miss Earth 2012

Add caption

sweet smiles and gorgeous hair

a thorn between the roses ..lol

beautiful green ambassadors with hearts of gold

Meeting a few of the finalists yesterday and talking to them made me feel really glad and somewhat relieved. Finally, something i have always been wishing to see at beauty pageats....beauty with brains. And of course, i love a girl with a caring heart. I'm hoping for great change and these girls can definitely help us to be more aware of issues that are close to their hearts and should also be close to ours.

With their "No Plastic Bag Challenge" that was held at Giant Hypermarket in Citymall, the twelve finalists put their skills of persuasion to the test as they try to convince as many shoppers as they can to use an eco-bag instead of a plastic bag.

An activity and event that is truly something different, interesting as well as beneficial to all.Many thanks to www.borneocolours.com for this opportunity! Love it!

Check out their official Facebook Page for the latest updates! 

REDSOUL : I've been made a SoulMate!

im no crazy Korean music fan 

but i must say that i really enjoyed the music and performance
by the amazingly talented acapella group from Korea -
REDSOUL!

RedSoul answering questions at the media preview at Playground Cafe

These guys are a happy bunch of friends who so happen to be very musically talented. They shot to stardom when they appeared on one of Korea's reality TV shows. All five of them were friendly and also very entertaining by nature. True performers, if i may say so. :)

Jonathan Tse performing "Moves Like Jagger"

The showcase was in PartyPlay Cafe, Lintas, more than a hundred avid Korean fans arrived and was seated, waiting axiously for the guys of RedSoul. Funny man and musician - Jonathan Tse was the opening act of the night. Easily getting the crowds to sing along with his cover of "Moves like Jagger", Jonathan Tse had the party goers giggling with his jokes and funny antics.

Me, Jonathan Tse (Middle), Alvin MY and his baby! TOO CUTE!

Alvin singing the song for his little baby! suh-weeet!

Jonathan Tse then welcomed the next performer, Alvin MY. Personally, i've seen Alvin MY perform once before at a friend's wedding in One Borneo, and i truly enjoyed it. Was so excited when he got on the stage and started singing. He revealed his soft side when he pointed out his pretty wife and adorable baby amidst the crowd. Singing a song he wrote just for his baby, he had all the girls going : "awwwww so sweet!"

the JADE sisters and their beautiful song "Hot Chocolate"

My lucky day! A shot with the JADE sisters!

The final act before RedSoul's appearance, the JADE Sisters! I've heard alot about these girls but i've never seen them before. I know... I know... I'm horribly not up-to-date, but i feel uber blessed to be able to meet them in person later that night! They sang their famous song "Hot Chocolate", they sound really sweet with a touch of that sexy husky tone. I loved it so much that I had to meet these girls and I loved that they all dressed in vintage clothing!

Oh, all four of them are sisters!
So nice... Makes me miss my sisters too...
*sniffles*

i want the guy in the Zebra print shirt! effing cute! URGH!

Autograph Session!

ANYWAY~!
RedSoul finally got on the stage and to simply describe what happen at that very moment was.....
PartyPlay exploded with screams of excited Korean fans.
 The boys of RedSoul sure knew how to win the hearts of the girls, picking fans out of the crowd to serenade or hold hands with. The party was in full swing when they performed a cover of "Fantastic Baby" by Big Bang. They were dancing with the crowd and holding hands with lucky girls while the others just party hard. 

RedSoul singing "Fantastic Baby" by Big Bang

They ended the show with an aaaaaaamazing cover of Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love to You". Absolutely SWOONWORTHY! If you check out the videos of those who went, it isnt the same! If you were there, you;ll see the men in the crowd melting and watching in awe.Haha! I'm not kidding. 

omg ....
 Here's my FAVOURITE part of the night! 
After hours of enjoying good music, I needed to go to the toilet really bad. So off i went in search of the toilet and once i was done with my toilet business, i opened the door to find all five of the guys of RedSoul outside.

There i stood in shock and i was thinking :
 " SHUD I ASK THEM TO SIGN MY BUTT or BOOBS?! "
 Yes, i was starstruck and i had NOTHING for them to sign!

 The guys saw me and started talking to me in Korean, truthfully i heard nothing. They are so nice, shyt. Funny too. Saying sorry in their cute Korean accent and giving those funny bows. i just wanted them to sign something.... anything!

But i only had a tissue in my hand from the toilet. Eww... i know its gross.

But...but... THEY'RE IN FRONT OF ME! ALONE AND UNGUARDED!

Of course i didnt give them my tissue that was wet from my hands okay. I was efficiently escorted out of the toilet by their nanny/translator. Lucky bitch took care of all the five men. *casting an evil look* dang!

my fav gurlie and i at the showcase!

thank u Dino!

So yeah, I had an amazing time at the RedSoul showcase. Thank you DINO! -hearts-

Red Soul in KK! is brought to you by ME Malaysia and Natural Sound. Proudly sponsored by Party Play, Playground, Imperial Boutec Hotel, Wilti-Jos, Breeze Magazine, Shangri-la Tg Aru Resort & Spa, Koryo-Jeong Korean Restaurant, Sea Quest, The Body Shop and Hakod Oasis.

Hennessy Artistry Kota Kinabalu - "Global Art of Mixing" Party @ Whiteroom, Sabah

QUESTION

Char! How was the party la?!

 I usually will go into all the details and just drown you guys in words, 

but for some funny reason - i can only come up with this 

simple, straightforward and exact answer to that question. 

ANSWER

It was amazing.

The Hennessy - Artistry 
"Global Art of Mixing" party 

at Whiteroom, Times Square Sabah

on the 24th of September 2011

was a mind-blowing success as hundreds of clubbers

partied till the wee hours of the morning.

I'm like a lil kid in a candy store now,
i don't know where to start! 

Have so much to tell you guys! Haha! 

I decided to dress really simple and comfortable.

Heck, i was thinking to myself while dressing up

"This party had better be great..."

Yea yea, i'm slightly pessismistic
but i'd like to think i'm realistic. pffft~!

With free flow of Hennessy's 4 really yummy flavors,

 no doubt everyone was all-smiles from the very beginning!

mini bar just for us to try the new flavors!

my favourite flavor - Hennessy Ginger!

For those who love making their own music,
this state of the art music-sync table
allows you to do that by simply playing around these lil glass tokens!
FUN!

music sync table

What is a party without a few friends 
from our local blogosphere? 

in white shirt is Hayden, off-shoulder black jumpsuit is Chloe,
in a classic black V-neck dress is MeiTzeu, on the right most is Sherrie,
and at the back, in blue is Tom! 

just minutes into the party, ViP lounge looking down unto the stage

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Our very own Malaysian superstar
Reshmonu
getting the party started!

Reshmonu's Facebook page

a view from the ViP lounge upstairs

As usual, he's able fuse a lil Malaysian vibe into any song.
He really is talented, did a great job
getting everyone pumped for an amazing night!

*RESPECT*

He was extremely friendly, 
down to earth and approachable. 

i'm feeling so lucky! it's Reshmonu!

for a short video featuring Reshmonu, click the link below:
Hennessy artistry 2011 - Reshmonu
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DJ Roxy June 

nearly fooled us with her sweet looks,

showing us her awesome precision on the turntables

and ability to make every single person in the club move to her mixes.

the prettiest DJ in the world

for a short video featuring DJ Roxy, click the link below:
Hennessy Artistry 2011 - DJ Roxy

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For the rest of the night,
the lime light shone on
DJ Reeve
who electrified and kept the party on a constant high.

spin master at work

to see more of  what he can do, here's a short video: 

Hennessy Artistry 2011- DJ Reeve

needless to say, we all had fun

of epic proportion!

happy party people!

a quick snapshot!

killing it on the dancefloor!

DJ Reeve  is so red! >,<

 

Cyrus, myself and the forever smiling  DJ Cassie from Hitz.fm

  

Many thanks to Hennessy Artistry, Whiteroom,

and the peeps of Sabahan Bloggers ( Dino & Chloe) for the invites! 

You guys are superstars, you know that right?  :) 

And those of you that were there 

at the party with me,

irregardless if you're an old friend, 

or a brand new one....

-HUGS!-

you made it so much memorable.

thank you and lotsa luv,

Char

Hennessy-Artistry "Global Art of Mixing' is finally back in town!

It's back and it's definitely bigger and a whole lot better! 

Join me and all the other enthusiastic clubbers for the most talked about party in East Malaysia!

Promising a colourful blend of music,

delectable Hennessy V.S.O.P long drinks 

and a party atmosphere that is second to none, 

the Hennessy-Artistry ‘The Global Art of Mixing’ party

will be storming through WhiteRoom, KK Times Square on September 24!

This is one party not to be missed! 

With collaborative performances, visual stimulations and new digital interactions, Hennessy-Artistry promises to surprise folks with a contemporary clubbing platform that is bold, daring and fresh, culminating in the ultimate blend of urban sounds and cultures that come together through the ‘Art of Mixing’ electrifying performances that will leave guests awestruck and craving for more.

Sounds bloody exciting, no?

To top it off, party goers can look forward to savouring some fresh delectable flavours of four Hennessy V.S.O.P signature long drinks – Hennessy Apple, Hennessy Ginger, Hennessy Berry and Hennessy Citrus. Yummy! Oh, only for those above the age of eighteen and are non-muslims ok?

Not forgetting the best part of the party, SUPERSTARS! 

Headlining the night is DJ Roxy June from Bangkok, a self taught DJ with an enormous talent. Roxy’s rise to fame started out on the club circuit in Thailand and for seven years, pushed her unique sounds through the Thai underground scene. Over the years, she has risen up the ranks to become one of Thailand’s best female DJ icons, having also toured Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong with her music. 

What can go wrong in this party? NOTHING! 

You're in the hands of the professionals!

Alongside DJ Roxy, is our very own megastar - Reshmonu! 

Not forgetting DJ Reeve who is the Astro Spinmaster 2010 Champion! 

Yes people, we are going to have a LOT of fun! I'm smiling like I've won a million bucks!

To make it all very special, 

this party is strictly by invitation only! 

To score yourself an invitation with your friends, 

head on over to

www.h-artistry.com.my/facebook 

for more information!

And just in case you think it's some normal party at a random club. 

The Hennessy-Artistry ‘The Global Art of Mixing’ parties also takes place in some of the largest cities around the world which includes New York, Shanghai, Taipei, and Los Angeles. Among some of the big names who have performed at these international parties includes Ciara, The Roots, Mike Posner, Alexandra Burke, Harlem Yu, Jay Chou, Jacky Cheung, and Sammi Cheng. 

The parties in Malaysia have also been nothing short of impressive. Locally, the event has in the past, featured a host of star-studded performers such as Flo-Rida, Kardinal Offishall, Shayne Ward, Boys Like Girls, The Ying Yang Twins, Da Mouth, and many others. 

Convinced yet, party people?

Because I definitely am! See you there and don't be shy, let's take pictures together!

Party hard and party in style!