Monday, 23 December 2013

2nd Piano Cover ; Henry - Trap

Monday, 23 December 2013
Hello people! :)

2 weeks ago, made another piano cover as you can see from the title, K-Pop this time :D
Unlike my first cover, I didn't instantly blog about this cover cuz uni life has been reaching a mad hectic peak and finally now I get a year end break to catch some breathe of the world :P


So now, a little story about this cover.

As time goes by and I'm growing up, people tend to ask me what do I look in my boyfriend or future partner.


I always hope that he is that someone who can play music well. 

So I can lay back to enjoy his music, or me playing music for him, or playing a duet maybe and etc etc etc hehee :P
I believe many girls share the same hope as I do, right? *wink* Although mine has already faded, almost completely. (focusing on better qualities than the music in him can give :P)


Well, I do find guys charismatic in a way when they're so focused and enjoy in playing their music.
Of course, their music have to be beautiful as well :P


Back to the cover, this guy Henry from Super Junior-M first attracted my attention was through his first solo track - Trap.

He played his violin for the intro of this song and it's so beautiful that I clicked that replay button just to listen to the intro again lol. His vocal didn't attract me though (so sorry~).

When I searched for the official MV of this song, I was fascinated once again when he was on the piano this time, playing the keys so effortlessly. 

Always am admiring guys for how effortless they can be when playing octaves and some big big stuff,
that girls will have to put so much effort in to achieve.

Henry's musicality is superb and it's a really grand intro for this solo track of his.
Then I decided to give it a try, to see what extend I can reach this time :P

In a nutshell, I decided to make a cover for this song due to that intro, and the song is good as well :) Not a K-Pop lover but I do listen, but not into it though.


Played everything by ear this time as well, and improvised some parts.

It's quite tough for me as I'm not good with octaves and all, but I'm glad that I pulled it off although it's another rough work from me, tried my best.

Hope you'll enjoy and hereby presenting to you my second piano cover, Trap by Henry :)

Feel free to drop any comments!

Friday, 27 September 2013

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison, Isetan Food Street

Friday, 27 September 2013
Feel so blessed that I get to enjoy food and this restaurant I'm gonna blog today is defo A BOMB.
Had brought some friends to this restaurant and I get 100% thumbs up from them!

Pork, is a non-halal food in Malaysia due to religious reason, and so we hardly find restaurants offering pork chops in Malaysia. In restaurants that serve Japanese cuisine, it's even rarer.

Had my first bite on Japanese style deep fried pork fillet was back in 2012 (it's just last year heh :p) in Taiwan. Was so in love with it and hoped that I could indulge it in Malaysia as well :3

One fine day in March 2013, MY DREAM CAME TRUE when dad brought the family to this restaurant located at Isetan One Utama.



Tonkatsu by Ma Maison

A restaurant located silently at the corner after you walk in the side walkway that branched out from the center circle of Eat Paradise :)

Tonkatsu is a japanese word where Ton stands for Pork and Katsu stands for Fillet. (Thanks daddy for the explanation of the terms^^)


Interior
It's not a big restaurant, but the mirrors on the wall give the whole restaurant a spacious impression :)
Few walls are filled up with pieces of denim in different shades of blue, very unique indeed.

Denim pieces and some framed up wordings on the walls~
with yours truly and her meal :P

Food
This restaurant offers a variety of deep fried food, from poultry (pork the star *heh :P*, chicken) to seafood (oyster, prawn).

Offered by the restaurant, diners feel safer having meals here :) or it's just me? :P
I do think it's a show of respect by the restaurant to us diners, by serving quality and health-concerned food.


A glimpse of side dishes offered here :)


Potato Salad 
LOVE IT!

2 choices to the meals offered here: Ala-Carte or Set Meal.
Ala-Carte consists of the deep fried food and cabbage, while ordering the set meal you'll get a bowl of rice, pickles and miso soup with pork (known as tonjiru). 

Steamed rice or multi grain rice are the options offered by the restaurant, good! Health point +1 :D

And note that, rice, cabbage and miso soup are REFILLABLE! FOC :D really suitable for those who are starving, haha I mean really hungry :)



Sneak peek of the set meal now, let's go! :)

Little radish ball :)
to improve digestion~

Wondering why raw cabbage is refillable?

Answer:
Spot the difference?
TADAAA!
Sesame sauce dressing :D

Testimonial from bro's friend (this is real!)
'The sauce manages to convince me to take in vegetables! :)'

Miso soup with pork (Tonjiru)
So sorry for this low quality picture ><
A little salty for me though it's tasty.

Pork star is here! :)
Love every bite of the fillet, like seriously hahaha.
Juicy and the tenderness is just nice for some chewing! :D

Spot the white stuff on top of the pork fillet?
It is sesame!
Feel free to mix it with your rice or your fillet, super super fragrant and yum! :D

Overview of the set meal :)
There's sweet sauce, spicy sauce and salt for the sauce columns.
Spicy sauce isn't that spicy as the name yells at you haha.
Sauce bottles are on your table, so just add according to your choice and preference :P

Tonkatsu Don
Perfect to those who prefer rice with some gravy, with onions and egg :)

Little tip on choosing your pork fillet:
Rosu Katsu - lean meat with a layer of fats
Hire Katsu - pure lean meat

So to those who love pork fat, and those who opt for a healthier choice, haha you know what to pick :)
and you can request a change to Hire Katsu for Tonkatsu Don, without extra charges^^


To the drinks:

Barley tea
to refresh your mouth for a better sensation of indulging the food :)

Pink guava, if I'm not mistaken.
Once ordered by bro, and it's quite good :)


Overall, food and ambiance are great, price is okay for the big portion of food :D
Just that it's a small restaurant, so maybe can call up earlier to reserve or go earlier. Unless you don't mind waiting, which is sometimes kinda uneasy for me, especially when my stomach is growling for food hahaha.


Do like their Facebook page :) Tonkatsu by Ma Maison

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison
Ma Maison@Eat Paradise, Isetan 2nd Floor,
1 Utama Shopping Centre.

03-7727 3337
contact@mamaison.com.my

Business hours: Mon-Sun 11.00-21.30 :D


Big recommendation from me, alongside with my family and friends! :)
Go grab a bite of deep fried pork fillet and other awesome deep fried food now :D

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

Piano Playing :)

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

After watching talented people and friends making covers out of songs, I finally did mine few days ago, Jay Chou's 明明就.

The making of this piano cover is a bitter sweet experience for me. From selecting what song to cover, to recording the song, it's really a pain for me haha! Finally understand my friend's exhaustion in recording repeatedly for the best, and playing the song for so many times until feeling robotic hehee.

Dedicating this piano cover to Jay Chou, because he has been such an inspiration to me in music, as a musician. Love the lyrics and melodies he composed, and his ability to play by ear is just WOW! I wanna be like him, hahaha :D

HE HAS SO MANY NICE SONGS THAT I LOVE, it's so hard for me to choose a song or a few as medley! Eventually picked this song, spent some time figuring some melodies and chords of the song, by ear.

Yes, I insisted on playing by ear :) it's like seeking more problems for myself when there's music scores nowadays to play from, but I'm willing to listen to the track so many times and play the song out, I do.

Playing by ear, besides being inspired by Jay Chou, my first inspiration will be my piano teacher. Watched her playing LeeHom's 'Kiss Goodbye' that she heard on the radio before she came for my class, I was really amazed! And challenge accepted I whispered, in my heart :P

My first official song played by ear will be 光良 Michael Wong's '约定', in its original key :) yes and from that day onwards, I insisted to play in original key, when I play by ear. This may sound like torturing myself, but I really always wanted to do more and do better :)

Thank God for the little gift, in music. It's really a beautiful gift, and I'm really grateful to own it. Will definitely work harder and improve in my techniques and all :)


Presenting to all, my first  piano cover.



Sorry for the pretty rough work, still lacking in techniques and interpretation. Will improve I promise :)

Feel free to drop comments, thankyou! :D

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

Hinz Cafe @ Bandar Menjalara, Kepong :)

Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Hey! :D
Was blogging about something non-halal, but then I'm allowing this post to jump queue first :P

Shoutout to those living in and around Kepong! :)

Am always eyeing on cafes, hoping to have a nice cup of coffee and maybe desserts/meals in the very comfy atmosphere that only cafes can pose. However, the cafes I see friends and people heading are mostly in Petaling Jaya, Puchong or Shah Alam. How I hope there are cafes in Kepong then I won't have to travel far and pay at the toll hehee :P


And here comes Hinz Cafe! :)

Saw a friend of mine liked the cafe's FB page and I clicked into it, saw it's located at Kepong, liked the page, then totally forget about it.

Until recently.

My buddy from student reporter team suggested a cafe at Metro Prima, Kepong, then this Hinz Cafe page just popped up in my news feed. So I went to suggest, offering another option lol. Somehow after some discussions and all, we decided to go to Hinz Cafe for our gathering :D

Wanna go to that cafe at Metro Prima one day though, hahaha.

Continue with Hinz!

It's located at Bandar Menjalara, the so-called Steamboat Area in Kepong :P
beside Hometown Steamboat which is currently one of the popular steamboat restaurants at Bandar Menjalara :)



A good place to have a catch up session with friends ^^


Simple yet warm concludes the whole atmosphere of the cafe :) simplicity rocks!







Some simple decorations and ornaments, at corners of the cafe.

Heart-shaped bottle <3



Some polaroids taken at the cafe~

Little cute symbol for the washroom :P

Move on to the food, only managed to try out their desserts and coffee this time as we went in the afternoon.

There's another side with a list of beverages~

Signature dessert - Brandy Banana Chocolate
A pudding outer layer with chocolate mousse and banana on the inside :)
*Am I revealing too much? :P*
Rich flavors and great texture, love! :)

Tiramisu Kahlua
The alcohol version of tiramisu cake :)
Quite okay~

Black Forest Cheese
Love the cheese :)

Tiramisu
Love the coat of mixed nuts, adds much texture to the cake!
And the raspberry (?) jam reminds me of Ikea meatballs lol,
they serve the same function to both dish tho :P

Cafe Latte :)

Mocha :P

For price, coffee is at the normal cafe price. Desserts are pricey than average but definitely worth it! :)


Considered a new cafe as it only started serving the crowd only since July 2013, however they already had quite a number of customers, which is a good sign :D

Will definitely come back for another round! For their set lunch :)

Working hours~

Do check them out on Facebook : Hinz Cafe :)

Hinz Cafe
73, Jalan 11/62A, Bandar Menjalara, 52100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
03-6270 0008 (make reservations for desserts maybe, heard that some desserts sell off fast!)


Sealed this post with the group pic of the gathering that day outside the cafe :)


Till the next post, the non-halal post, bye! :D
*back to revision for the last paper of finals :P*

Thursday, 4 July 2013

Clinic? Clinique? :)

Thursday, 4 July 2013
Hello July! Hello All! :D

How's first 4 days of July going?  It's like the second half of the year already, time flies flies flies flies huhh :): *both happy and sad heh*

Well this is not a sponsored post, it's just I wanna share with you guys about it, thinking it's one that you may try your luck on :)
Of course WELCOME! if Clinique or other great brands wanna sponsor me hehee :P


Clinique is a beauty brand where I'm using their skincare products currently (toner, moisturizer and sunblock!^^). They offer a wide range of skincare, makeup and fragrances (as in perfume). Most importantly, their products are suitable for ALL skin types as it is allergy tested and 100% fragrance-free. So no matter which skin type you are, you can find a product that suits you the best from Clinique! They have skincare specially designed for men as well :) guys have to protect your skin too ^^

For those who have liked Clinique Malaysia's Facebook page, you may have get the news for quite some time already. For those who don't and you're a Malaysian, here's for you!



You may not be a fan, but after you've tried their products, you may be one :D

Clinique is launching their NEW Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + (which is a moisturizer) soon and 50 lucky fans will get to try out the preview bottle (6-week supply) first ! What you need to do is just to tell Clinique the reason you wanna try it in 30 words or less :)

Not tough, simple enough ay? Enter the contest by clicking here ^^


I've participated and so it's your turn now to fight join me in getting this new moisturizer preview bottle :P
Contest ends on 7th July (Sunday) 11.59pm!

Start brainstorming and may the best wins :) hahahahaa.

For more beauty products info from Clinique, visit their website or their Facebook page :)


Sharing this info with you, hoping you can take good care of your skin with products by a brand that truly cares for you *in my opinion* :P and haze just went off, it's still time to sayang (love) your skin, skin is like the image of yourself to other people ^^


Have a great month everybody! :)
Oh and Happy Independence Day to the US ^^

Wednesday, 26 June 2013

Skater's :)

Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Heyy! :) Ahhh I'm here again, after some time (recent posts I'm always like this~).

Well, the recent keyword is HAZE (in Malaysia and Singapore). Everywhere is blur *where are you O.O*, smokey and irritating *blink blink, sniffs sniffs and clear throats*. Luckily it rained yesterday and today, so the API (Air Pollution Index) had gone down! :D Artificial rain joins in though, but it's okay as everyone is praying for rain ^^

I know this has been repeated for so many times in social networks but I'm still gonna say it here, do take care of yourselves kay? Shall not mention how you should take care of yourself, you know it already and probably had been feeling so ughhh listening to people reminding over and over again *true much? :)*

Still fyi (in case you're unaware of this hehee :p), KFC is 40 years old this year! :D and here's one promo that I think everyone should go for ^^



Unless you've owned a Thermos already and have been using it, like me :)

You can get a Thermos in a much cheaper price, and I do believe in Thermos' quality. Friends who grabbed it already have been saying the quality is good!

So YOU! get it maybe? :) especially girls, cuz keeping your body warm is very important. (not mentioning period cramps, not so good complexion on the face *气色~*...)

Getting yourself hydrated is so important as the haze causes our skin to dehydrate :(  and it says 'while stocks last', so faster grab if still available! :D


Okay enough of the haze, let's feel cooling with the word 'SKATER' :) *imagine the ice skating rink~~~*

In love with skater's dress and skirt recently, as it can smartly cover the body parts I'm not really satisfied with, yeah the hips and the thighs. Then you all thought I'm quite slim, hehee ^^

Grabbed two skater's skirts from Cotton On, and love the quality of the skirts :) RM59 and I bought them during the 'Buy One and Get the Second Piece 1/2 price' promo :D

Took some pictures to record down my moments with skater's skirt, hehee ^^ credits to mummy :)

Top and floral sandals from Cartino Sonea (Kluang Mall in Kluang, Johor)
Floral skater's skirt from Cotton On



Evening sunshine love :)



Whoops~ hehee :P



Free! :D

And this was my look in church last Sunday :)

Long sleeve top from Seed
Black skater's skirt from Cotton On
Pointy flats from Tiamo Black Label




It's June now, and durian season is creeping in :)
Hadn't had any durians yet for now, only had this durian kuih from Malacca :P

I have thick lips, HAHAHAHA :D


That's all for now :)
♥ MinErn aka Melody © 2014