Zoo Review (Kids Version)

Hello kids! Fancy spending a day at your local zoo?

At the kingdom of animals, you get to experience and see animals from all over the world!

Giraffes from Kenya, Africa. They are the tallest of all land animals!

Milky Stork at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Lake in Zoo Negara. At the open lake, you also get to see painted storks, ibises, egrets, swans, pelican and other species of birds! Catch their feeding time at 11am and 3pm where there birds will flock they way towards you!

Heard of the Malaysian folk story Sang Kancil? A species of deer, Kancils are herbivores where they feed on plants such as grass and leaves.

The fast and furious Leopard. They can run up to 58km per hour!

You can also get to pet and watch animals up close in the Children's Word! You have baby goats, porcupines, rabbits and more to keep you entertained.

Meet Hobbit and Wizard, ponies from the Children's World! Don't you love them already?

 Catfish at the Freshwater Aquaira! Aren't they HUGE?

Feeling excited? Zoo Negara has multi-animal showtime daily at 11am and 3pm! You get to watch exciting performances by sea lions, take pictures with birds and more!

Refreshments such as ice cream and snacks are available to food kiosk and cafes around Zoo Negara.

The entrance fee for kids below 12 years old with MyKid is RM9 which includes the insect zoo and butterfly park and RM6 for normal entrance to the zoo. Zoo Negara opens at 9am to 5pm daily.

For more information, visit Zoo Negara's official website at www.zoonegara.org.my or contact them at +603-41083422.

Designer Labels. Is it necessary?

Chanel, Burberry, Ted Baker, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana are examples of high end designer labels that you'll find in the fashion world. Prestigious and outrageous, you see models strutting in these designer outfits on the catwalk during Fashion Week.

You see celebrities wearing them everywhere and you've always dreamt of having one too. But is it worth it? Do you wear it often or is it going to sit in your cupboard? Can you afford it? These are the question one often ask themselves and today, we'll be talking about is it necessary to own designer label items. Below are some of the good and bad of designer labels:

Good

• Made with good quality materials which are durable and last longer.
• Fits better and comfortable
• Boost confidence on social or financial status
• Some designs are unique and rare

Bad

• Price - Are you really paying for higher quality materials, or are you paying for the brand name?
• There are many replicas on designer labels, making it cheaper and affordable to the masses.
• Does your pay check allow you to indulge in designer labels or are you breaking your savings to purchase these items?
• Can you keep up with the amount of outfits that the designer labels have?

Some people think that designer labels are everything and in a way it makes them feel superior. But first of all, you need to have a fashion sense or basic knowledge in fashion. If not, wearing those brands wouldn't do much to you anyway as it's not considered stylish.

Besides that, you can find most designer labels inspired clothing everywhere in the market today. Obviously, the quality between these two is a huge difference and they tend to wear off faster but fashion changes every time according to seasons. Therefore, it's better to invest in cheaper brands in those outfits that you know that you wouldn't wear for a long time.

Here are a few tips on whether to purchase designer labels:

1. Purchase what you can afford

Let's face it, most of us can't afford buying designer label items. Although designer labels are much better quality wise, it's best to think twice on whether you can afford the particular garment or not. Investing in a pair of designer shoes for long term use is advisable as it's more comfortable compared to replicate ones. But if you can find a cheaper pair that gives you equal comfort, go for it!

2. Choose wisely

You would not want to spend RM90 on a pair of cotton T-Shirt that will probably wear off in a few months. With that amount, you could be better off buying a nice dress for yourself already. Consider the amount you're paying for that particular garment and always keep in mind whether it is worth it or not. If you pay a hefty amount for things that do not last long, why purchase it in the first place?

3. Change your mindset. Tell yourself that designer labels is not everything

Although wearing designer outfits can boost your ego or makes you happier with it, it's your own style and taste that makes the cut. You must know what type of clothing suits your body and personality best. Some quality of cheaper brands is actually better than the ones by designer labels. Imagine the amount of money you'll be saving!

So, you have a fair share of my opinion on designer labels. If you're label obsessed, do consider those tips to help you decide again whether it's really necessary to purchase everything 'designer label'.

Signing off,

Li Chuen DMC09

What to do with clothes lying in your closet

By Li Chuen 

Every time you open your closet, you see the same clothes hanging there for a few months and also for years. Worn out, out of fashion and brand new clothes fill your closet but you can never seem to find anything to wear or find it hard to throw them away thinking ‘I’ll wear it one day’. Sometimes, you don’t even know why you bought the particular clothes in the first place.

Fret not! There are many ways to solve the issues with your unworn or old clothes. Today, I will share with you some tips on creating something out of your clothes.  Who knows, you might be able to come up with a few new designs of your own!

1. T-Shirts

Love the funky design out your shirt but it is too old to be worn outside? Don’t throw it away just yet as you can make a pillow case out of it. A few simple steps will do the magic!

First, find a suitable t-shirt from your wardrobe that can fit the size of your pillow. An oversized t-shirt would be preferable. After that, turn the t-shirt inside out and leave an extra inch from your pillow measurement. Then, sew a straight line and cut off the remaining fabric. Finally, turn the t-shirt back out and put in the pillow. Now, you have a funky and cool t-shirt pillow case!

2. Jeans

You can create many things out of a pair of jeans as it is easy to alter such as transforming it into a three quarter pants or a pair of shorts. Give your jeans a new look by patching on embellishments or bleach the jeans to give it a washed out feel.  You can also make a denim bag out of your jeans.

Here is a link on many ways you can create something out of a pair of old jeans.

3. Dress

Killing two birds with one stone, cut the dress to half at the waist area and you would get a new top and a skirt. That gives you two new outfits! Besides that, you can also turn the dress into a jumper skirt with minor and fuss free alteration.

In general, it’s very easy for you to revamp and recreate your wardrobe with some basic sewing skills. What you can gain from this is that you can save lots of money buy spending less on clothes as altering your outfits will give a whole new look or design to it. Your friends will not notice it too!

There are many websites on the Internet that gives you simple tutorial on creating new things out of your old clothes. For starters, do visit Cut Out + Keep at www.cutoutandkeep.net for more step by step tutorials.

Next week: The pros and cons of branded goods. 

What do you do when you have a constraint budget to do your shopping? Li Chuen is a self-proclaimed shopaholic who spends most of her time shopping and surfing the net for the latest fashion. She has the tendency to buy things which is unnecessary and would end up broke by the end of the month.

Shopping with a budget

The ever changing world of fashion makes it impossible for us to keep up with the trends at times. Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter season is when most of the designers will come up with new collections that will influence the fashion trend worldwide.

Purchasing many apparel at once is a common habit of women and we would sometimes regret splurging so much yet we still repeat this cycle every single time without fail. At the end of the day, piggy banks will be emptied, coins will be fully utilized to support our daily expenditures such as food and petrol.

Being caught in such situation, a budget would be the best idea to help us manage our money. But will it? Some of us might think it does not help at all and in fact, it might make things worse. By setting a budget, we have more control of knowing what we can or cannot afford. 

Here are some pointers for managing your budget.

• Have an additional bank account or have a petty cash box that is solely for your shopping expense.

Do make it a habit of setting cash aside so that you'll be able to live through till the end of the month without surviving only on bread and water. By doing so, we can learn to control our spending and buy what is necessary.

• Buy what you NEED not want

Hold your eyes rolling for now. I'm sure that most of you have heard this phrase repeated everywhere but I couldn't help myself to reinforce it once again. Seriously, deciding which apparel you need is important as it can affect your whole wardrobe. Like everyone else, we would end up buying things that we want instead of what we need thus making it hard to find a particular accessory or apparel to match the outfit.

• Go for SALES!

Although it's a gimmick to attract customers and boost sales, we still benefit from the discounted prices as we pay a cheaper price compared to the usual marked up price. You could also get more in terms of quantity than paying twofolds for things such as a simple top. Besides that, vouchers offered during sales season can be saved to purchase more items in future.

-End-

Sneak peek for next week: What to do with clothes sitting in your closet?

Tappers Cafe

A cosy little cafe influenced by western decor has also an old school feeling as though it transports you back through time. Equipped with rattan chairs and other furniture, Tappers is an ideal place to hang out during tea time (non-peak hours) as it's quieter. The sunshine and the warmth is perfect as I sat outside relaxed, sipping my chilled drink.

Tappers Cafe offers reasonably priced meal from their menu. Ranging from Western and Malaysian food, customers have many varieties to choose from. Breakfast set is offered until 11am where you can choose from American breakfast, English breakfast and so on. Whereas, lunch set is offered until 2pm where there is meals like Nasi Lemak Ayam Gulai, Carbonara and other delicious meals that will keep your tummy satisfied!

I ordered a chicken ham and egg sandwich and a honey lemon ice. As my order came, I was delighted by the simple yet mouth watering presentation of the sandwich. The sandwich was lightly toasted and the egg was perfectly fried. I munched through my sandwich hungrily and it was delicious but they put too much margarine or butter for my liking. For the honey lemon ice, it was a good choice for a warm day like this. The combination of honey and lemon gives a tingling feeling as I drank it. It wasn't too sour like what other places offers, and they were generous with the amount of honey which makes the drink taste good.

In total, the bill for these two came about RM9 as students get a 10% discount from Tappers. Some of you might think it's pricey, but consider the ingredients used and it's all value for money as the food and drink is really tasty!

Overall, service in tappers is good but can be improved as sometimes, orders are forgotten or it takes too long to come especially during lunch hours. The waiters & waitress are friendly and they could improve their proficiency in English as they might not understand what we're trying to say at times. Orders are taken swiftly but make sure to sit at places where they can see you as sitting in hidden corners will result in the waiters failing to see you and not taking your orders. Definitely I place I would recommend to everyone to go as the food is good and the staffs are friendly too! 

Tappers Cafe is now introducing their Afternoon Tea Set which offers freshly baked homemade scones and homemade pancakes. All tea sets are served with the choice of English Tea, Latte or Cappuccino. It is only RM8.50 per set! 

Address: 5-G, Block D, Jaya One, No. 72A, Jalan Universiti,46200 PJ, Selangor.

Telephone: 03-7958 3198

Rating: 4/5 

Written by: Li Chuen - DMC09

 

The Clinic

Mentioning ‘The Clinic’ would raise a few eyebrows among the new students as they enroll into IACT. ‘A college that actually provides medical facilities? Cool! No other colleges have this facility and now I can tell my friends about it!’

As the noisy door creaks open, a turn to the right would be an out-of-place clinic inspired counter with a round cut-out window, a chair, receipt books and stationeries. What you would not expect is that behind the window lies the IACT staff workplace where the tables are filled with paper notes, personal table decorations and more papers. Usually quiet during class hours, the grey carpet, sofas and the dim light makes the place depressing.

The counter window is used as a form of communication with the staffs and the students. Just like how a clinic operates when dealing with patients, the system is the same in IACT except that the patients are the students. On the right side of counter lies a black post box where the students can ‘post’ their assignments to their lecturers which is usually abandoned unless Kim is not there to take in the assignments.

Stepped on, slept on and even food spilled onto the grey fabric of the sofas did not deter the students from hanging out at this little corner of The Clinic even though the sofas smelled funny. One of the fun things in The Clinic is that all kinds of music were played from the students’ laptop, which sometimes gets criticized by others for their choice of music. Occasionally, gossips by students can be heard by unintentional eavesdropping as students talk and laugh loudly. The fragrant aroma of the food from the Chinese stall down the road makes stomach grumble when food is brought into The Clinic. Especially after class hours, students will be seen bustling in and out of The Clinic, waiting for their transport and bidding their farewells at the end of the day.

The Clinic was a popular spot for students working on individual and group assignments. Students are seen cracking their heads working on their designs, presentation slides and even brainstorm sessions. Typing away on their laptops to finish their assignments before The Clinic closes at 6pm, the adrenaline rush to race against time is heats up the atmosphere.

The Clinic holds many memories even though IACT has moved to a new campus. That comfortable yet depressing space, adios.

Li Chuen
DMC09

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty film is a dark and twisted version of the fairytale, Sleeping Beauty. Directed by Nicky Phelan, produced by Darragh O'Connell and written/voiced by Kathleen O'Rourke, the Irish animated film was nominated for the Best Animated Short Film at the 82nd Academy Awards.

The interesting part of this film is the values it relates to life and also in the modern 21st century. She mentioned that beauty does not take you very far in life, which is true (brains are important!). The definition of beauty was also touched in the film. Slim figures, long legs and big boobs are the 'ideal' model portrayed to women in this era. I was quite entertained by Granny O'Grimm's antics and her exaggerated expressions.

Granny O'Grimm tells the story as if that she's the Elderly Fairy itself. It portrays her as a person who is revengeful and does not easily forgive and forget. In this film, it is as if Granny O'Grimm characteristics and personality is represented by the general perception of the senior citizens where they are old, cranky and slightly off in the head.

This film content is clearly not suitable for children but watch this if you’re looking for a good laugh!

Li Chuen
DMC09