Support Our Athletes and Make a Pledge #KeepGoingMalaysia

Have you seen Rimau, the cute tiger mascot statues around KL? If you didn't know already, the 29th SEA Games will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 19- 30 August 2017, whereby Malaysia will play host and welcome the competitors and supporters from all participating countries.

Athletes that have come through the rigorous selection processes to eventually hold a place in their chosen events are already winners in my eyes as they have reached the pinnacle of their sport in this nation.

However, if I had to select an individual from our capable team of sportsmen and women, I would choose to support Azizulhasni Awang. He recently made our country proud by emerging as the winner in the Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong in April 2017. He is also Malaysia’s first world champion athlete in an Olympic sport.

For over 10 years, he has been trying to become the world champion. He has been eyeing the rainbow jersey (winner's jersey) throughout his whole career. Through hard work and determination, he kept trying and he finally achieved his dream.


We can all take a lesson from these sporting individuals, in that hard work and commitment will eventually reap personal satisfaction and may even inspire the next generation not only of sportsmen and women but of everyday folk in their daily lives.

As a food blogger, I am constantly eating out in order to continuously create quality content for my blog. However, at the same time, my personal goal is to maintain my current body weight. We go for evening walks to burn extra calories from the food reviews. I am currently doing 3km evening walks to help maintain my body weight.

If Azizulhasni Awang wins a gold medal in the SEA Games I pledge to walk an extra 2km everyday. The commitment and efforts demonstrated by Azizulhasni in his career motivates me to put my walking shoes on and put in more effort to achieve my goal. Pharmaton is the enabler for me to achieve my goal.

If you would also like to make a pledge and show your support to our athletes, please visit Pharmaton website (http://www.pharmaton.com.my/keepgoing) and pledge for #KeepGoingMalaysia.

*This is a sponsored post.

Cooking Made Easy, with Prego

Pasta is definitely a staple ingredient in our home. Mention pasta for dinner, and you will see our kids eyes light up in happiness. All the better for mummy, as pasta is one of the easiest things to cook in the kitchen.

With pasta sauces easily available these days, making pasta at home is made even easier and more convenient. Prego sauces are one of our favorites as they are deliciously thick and rich, perfectly balanced in taste, and can be prepared in 3-easy steps (as easy as 1.2.3).

A couple of weekends ago, with a little bit of teamwork from Hubby and BabySumoKids, we prepared two pasta dishes for our whole family in under 20 minutes. Hubby and Baby C made a macaroni dish using the Prego Cheese and Herb sauce, while Baby D and I formed another team to make a pasta dish using the new Cheesy Alfredo Sauce.

Prego sauces are Halal certified by Jakim and usually come in cans or jars (small 350g or large 680g). Each can or jar of sauce comes with a cooking suggestion at the back of the can which I found to be very helpful - ie it tells you which type of pasta as well as meat / seafood / vegetable goes best with the sauce. The kids helped measure out the pasta and with some supervision, they can also help stir the sauces ... yes, pasta preparation can be a great bonding activity with your kids and time well-spent learning and having fun together as a family.

The new pasta sauces from Prego - Cheesy Alredo, Chicken Mushroom and Black Pepper

BabySumoKids love helping out in the kitchen

Hubby had no problems at all with his macaroni preparation and it came together beautifully. To cook, simply saute the chicken chunks, until they are cooked through, then pour the sauce over the chicken, loosening slightly with some water, and then simmering for 5 minutes. Then, add the macaroni to it and voila! As you can see, cooking pasta with Prego sauce is very easy indeed! If Hubby can do it, you can do it too.

Similarly, the Cheesy Alfredo Pasta was easy and quick to put together. I first sauteed the king prawns in some olive oil and once they are cooked, take them off the heat and set aside. Using the same pan, saute the minced garlic and add the Cheesy Alfredo Sauce, some water and simmer for 5 minutes. The recipe suggests adding extra lime juice to the sauce, however I found the sauce to be flavourful and tangy enough, so I omitted this step. Toss the spaghetti in the cooked sauce and top with freshly chopped basil and cooked prawns. Not only did it look great, it tasted fantastic too.

Thank you Hubby and kids for helping cook this delicious pasta meal for both mummy and Grandma :) (and the rest of the family)

We also tried out two more of Prego's new sauces, launched in March this year - the Chicken Mushroom and Black Pepper. Again, we followed the simple instructions at the back of the can and prepared these two delicious pasta dishes for dinner.

Our kids especially enjoyed the fusilli with creamy Chicken Mushroom sauce. To cook, simply saute the chicken chunks, set aside once cooked. Then, saute the sliced white button mushrooms, add the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes, then finally add in the cooked fusilli. So easy!

Fettucine with black pepper sauce

We really love the creaminess of Prego sauces, which is why we have used them in the past and will continue using them in the future. :)

CONTEST!

For Mother's Day this year, Prego will be running a Mother's Day Contest in conjunction with the celebration. Husbands and kids over 16 years old can join in this contest and win a special gift for their beloved mom/wife.

All you need to do is to Whatsapp to Prego (at 017-811 6477) a short video (less than 60s) of yourself telling your mother how much you LOVE and APPRECIATE her by 13/5/17 10am. Make a pledge that you will cook a Prego Pasta meal for her on Mother's Day.

You'd be able to treat your mum to a homecooked pasta meal as well as be in the running to win prizes worth up to RM1,000.  Contest ends 15/5/17 at 2pm, so hurry and join now!

For more information on the contest, please visit Prego Malaysia Facebook Page.

(Note: Contest date has been extended... please visit Prego Malaysia FB page for more details)

*This is a sponsored post. 




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A Gift of Love: OGAWA Master Drive

When we first moved into our new home, one of the items we purchased was an entry-level massage chair. Recently, we've been considering if we should upgrade and get a more advanced massage chair which can give us the full body massage experience at home.

Massage chairs can be a huge investment, in order to find out which one suits your needs best it is advisable to go out and do some market research. We tried three brands recently and the one that impressed us the most during our "test drive" was the OGAWA Master Drive, the new flagship massage chair from OGAWA.

1. The design / appearance

One of the most important criteria for us when choosing a massage chair other than the features is its appearance. Our home interior is pretty minimalist, so the chosen one needs to look sleek, modern and blend in with the rest of our interior.

All 3 brands that we tried looked modern with a futuristic, edgy feel to them. Out of the 3, only OGAWA comes in four different colours while the competitor brands only come with one colour option.

2. Functionality / Best Massage Experience

We both enjoy the experience of going to a spa and having a 1-2 hour full body massage with soothing music and pleasant personal service, however the convenience of having a mechanical masseuse ever present at home capable of performing warming, deep tissue, pressure point focused, stretching and numerous massage types is also very appealing.

The OGAWA Master Drive is brought to life by cutting edge Japanese technology, and is an extremely accurate massage chair that precisely targets your acupuncture points - from head-to-toe, including your knees - for optimal energy restoration through human-like full-body massages.  As soon as you turn on the machine, it will do a full body scan using its precision sensors to analyse different body shapes and sizes and adjust the intensity level of the massage accordingly.

To control the massage chair, OGAWA's controller is the most modern - a 7-inch touch-screen tablet which is simple to navigate. OGAWA comes with 22 massage programs, and each program comes with a short description to tell the user what the massage entails. We found the descriptions useful (we didn't have to keep referring back to the sales person to ask what each program is supposed to do). Some of the programs available on OGAWA Master Drive are: Master's Choice, Sensei, Deep tissue massage, Circulation, Shape n Tone, Balinese, Chinese, Thai, Shiatsu, Swedish, Kneading, Tapping and more.

You can also customise your massage area, as well as adjust the strength to your preference

Built-in manual 

OGAWA also comes with a M Drive Navigator, a feature exclusive only to Master Drive. A master control that allows you to conveniently control the intensity and massage programs without disrupting your massage experience.

Massage chair technology has advanced somewhat in recent years, the enhanced 135 cm L-shaped track within the OGAWA Master Drive gives wider coverage and reaches more points, for a more pleasurable experience.  Invigorating neck, shoulder, back and lower back massage, with heat, is available via the L-Track coverage. Lower leg and feet massage are facilitated within the "footrest' portion of the chair, which comes with sole massage rollers as well as airbags. OGAWA is also the 1st in Malaysia with knee coverage, an area which is often neglected. Treat your knees to much needed care with strategically-fitted thermal airbags. Another attractive use for the OGAWA Master Drive is simply to give your body a rest from the rigours of daily life by "resting" in a zero-gravity position to redistribute your weight across the body, reduce pressure on your spine and relieve muscle tension.

OGAWA Master Drive is equipped with the high-performance A.R.M. microprocessor, which can respond quickly and accurately adjust massages to your commands.

OGAWA Master Drive is also the first of its kind to provide deep tissue, spine-focused, human-like massages. It has 4D M Spa rollers which have the ability to protrude 120mm deep and converge 40mm apart to accurately massage the spine and specific acupunctural points. 

I personally enjoy medium-pressure when I go to the spa, and after testing all three brands, I find OGAWA's pressure suits me best (observation based on first program selected by the salesperson at each brand's outlet).

All 3 brands of massage chair that we tried come with heat function. However, OGAWA seems to give out the most comfortable level of heat as the heat comes directly from the massage rollers, so it will follow wherever the massage goes, hence it feels like you are getting a warm hand massage. The heat will stimulate blood flow in your body and helps your body relax even more.

All three brands come with music therapy, for extra relaxation. One of the competitor brand also comes with a negative ioniser while OGAWA comes with light therapy. User can choose from 7 modes which can help uplift moods, increase metabolism and promote detoxification.

Major benefits we agreed upon when comparing the OGAWA Master Drive to competitor offerings were that the OGAWA Master Drive offered the most human-like experience, offered the best sound and lighting effects to aid relaxation and overall massage enjoyment, offered the most user-friendly control panel, and was the most aesthetically pleasing massage chair currently on the market.



3. Price

Price is usually one of the deciding factors when purchasing a massage chair. All 3 brands cost upward of RM20K, with OGAWA being the most reasonably priced; with their Parents’ Day promotion you can now own it at RM18,699. OGAWA and another brand offer two years warranty, while another competitor offers only one.

In conclusion, our brief forage into the world of massage chairs resulted in us agreeing that the OGAWA Master Drive would be our massage chair of choice.  With Mother's Day coming soon, maybe, just maybe we can justify the expenditure and invest in our bodies well-being, ironing out all our aches and pains in the comfort of our home.

For more product information on the OGAWA Master Drive, please visit the OGAWA website here.



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Pharmaton "Reward Your Achievement" Contest

2016 was another good year for GoodyFoodies, as our blog surpassed 10 million pageviews.  A remarkable achievement for us indeed!

Food and Travel are two important parts of our life as a family. At the start of 2016 we resolved to bring BabySumoKids to a country they had never experienced before.  We are forever seeking new experiences for our children from visiting a new mall, baking a new recipe, playing a new board game, reading a new book, discovering a new sport etc.

During our summer holiday in 2016, we took an extended break in Europe to visit Hubby's family. We opted to kick off our European vacation with 10 days in Germany.  Chloe has voluntarily been studying German Language as part of her education so we thought it appropriate that she got the chance to hear German being used in everyday conversation by the locals.

Our trip was centered around the the city of Cologne and some of our adventures can be relived on Instagram at #BabySumoinEurope.  As a family we all enjoyed our time in Germany - at the Cologne Zoo, in the restaurants and of course our visit to Haribo Factory Outlet.

For 2017 our resolution is to bring the kids for mini local breaks a la "Cuti-Cuti Malaysia" and possibly another European visit during the summer break in July. So far this year, BabySumoKids have had a short break in Port Dickson and a luxurious heritage break in Malacca. To give us the sustained energy throughout these trip, we could have taken balanced multivitamin and minerals with ginseng extract to keep us going.

Just like how we are able to achieve helping BabySumoKids explore new surroundings last year, Pharmaton, the adult multivitamin brand in Malaysia is currently running a contest on their website to help you do the same. Let Pharmaton help you achieve your Resolution by participating in the Pharmaton "Reward Your Achievement" Contest. Hurry and Join as this promo will run until 31 March 2017, with up to RM50,000 of rewards to be won (a total of 15 winners will be chosen).

How to join?

1. Visit this link.

2. Purchase a minimum of RM30 worth of Pharmaton products in a single receipt. Take a snapshot of your receipt.

3. Select your reward category: Travel; Health;  Pamper Session / Shopping; Personal Development.

4. Share with Pharmaton, in no more than 30 words "In 2016, I have achieved..."

5. Answer a simple question.

6. Whatsapp to 010 920 3188 in the following format:

TIP: For higher chances of winning, remember to include the word "Pharmaton"  in your caption (as shown in the example above).



For more information on Pharmaton as well as T&C's for the contest, please visit www.pharmaton.com.my


Good luck!

*This is a sponsored post.



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Farm Fresh - Why Imported is Not Always Better

When I first moved to the UK, I was amazed at how good the fresh milk there tasted... it was rich and delightfully creamy. Naturally, one of the things we missed most about the UK when we first moved back to Malaysia was the fresh milk.

Eventually we found a milk brand in Malaysia, which was very much to our liking - Farm Fresh. Milk is an essential item for us at home, as we often pour it liberally onto cereal or simply reach for a glass of cold milk when we're having a cookie - and believe me, great tasting milk makes all the difference.

Farm Fresh is a locally owned fresh milk brand with farms in Kota Tinggi, Johor and Muadzam, Pahang. Instead of importing milk from Australia, Farm Fresh imported Australian Holstein Jersey cows to be reared in free range farms in Malaysia. Hence, Farm Fresh milk takes only 48 hours to go from cow to your local supermarket shelves so you can rest assured that it truly is fresh milk. It is also not processed unnecessarily, and does not contain preservatives, coloring or any added sugar.

I was astounded to learn that imported milk is processed before being shipped and is reprocessed again in Malaysia before going to the supermarket shelves. This means that it takes up to two weeks or more for overseas milk to go from farm our store shelves. When you see it in this light, the milk doesn't seem so "fresh" afterall. This is something to keep in mind when buying milk if freshness is a concern to you and your family.

Our kids always look forward to a glass of cold milk in the evenings - even they can taste the difference and often comment that Farm Fresh milk is so fresh, creamy and yummy!

Are your kids like my kids where they can tell the difference between milks? Do you normally take note of the freshness of the milk? Do share your experience with me!

Do visit Farm Fresh YouTube channel - there are lots of educational videos such as how to store milk properly so it stays fresh for longer and you can also see how they care for their cows (happy cows = tasty milk) .

Also, please check out this video to see the vast difference in processing time for Farm Fresh fresh milk vs imported milk.

Do also visit Farm Fresh's official website for more information on their products.



*This is a sponsored post.

Meet Robi the Robot

Meet Robi, the trilingual robot created by world’s leading robotics scientist, Professor Tomotaka Takahashi.

Coming very soon to Malaysia – Robi will give parents and children an opportunity to spend quality time together as they unbox and assemble Robi piece by piece using only a screwdriver. Robi parts are contained in a weekly educational magazine (made up of 70 issues) with clear and simple instructions in each issue on how to assemble the robot.

There are five stages to completion, and we have been given the honour of previewing the first 8 issues (Stage 1) of the magazine. We had two hours of family fun opening, arranging parts and assembling them. Following the clear diagrammatic instructions, we built Robi's head and attached the servo unit to allow movement.

Only a small number of pieces come with each magazine; this actually assists with the building of the robot as the family is not overwhelmed by the complexity of the task ahead and slowly but surely as the issues mount up Robi will grow along with your family's understanding of robotics and robot construction.

A happy Chloe, eager to get started

Incorporating cutting-edge robotics technology from Japan, Robi has become the bestselling humanoid robot worldwide. He can communicate with users, even expressing emotion through the colour of his eyes. He can talk, sing, dance and control selected household appliances eg. the television.

The specially designed Malaysian version of Robi has also been programmed to speak some Manglish phrases, as well as English, Bahasa and Chinese. With an extensive vocabulary of more than 250 phrases, once constructed, Robi interacts well with his new owners.

Daniel also wants to be part of our Robi construction team 

Children of all ages are fascinated by robotics. In fact it's probably every child's dream to own a robot. Robi will allow your family to slowly learn step by step more about the mechanics and circuitry of a fully functioning robot. Young families can spend quality time building Robi together learning along the way and bonding as a team, possibly learning many new skills in the process. The family can discuss together about how Robi is going to be able to walk, talk and dance and discover slowly the robotics magic as they construct the component parts as a team.

Briefly skim through the relevant issue before unboxing the components

Chloe was happy to find a mini Robi in Issue 1

We used our Robi Robot construction time as quality family time, a perfect example to our children that learning can be fun.  After dinner one evening, we sat down and reviewed the magazine issues one by one.  We all took turns opening the packaging, laying out the components exactly as shown in the magazine, reading the instructions, using the screwdriver and confirming each step has been completed correctly.

Discuss the task ahead and assign task for each team member 

Reading aloud each step prior to starting a new module

Look mummy, my eyes are like Robi's

Daniel demonstrating his dexterity with the screwdriver 

Taking turns, even I managed to help assemble Robi :-)

Joy as Robi begins to take shape 

Our in-house Robi expert, sharing his expertise

It was a fulfilling moment as we completed Issue 8, and Robi's head came together. The kids were excited as Hubby pressed the "Test/Set" button and Robi's head moved from left to right for the first time.  Our team had successfully completed Stage 1 and every team member had unlocked a sense of achievement.

Check out this cute video of Robi in action:

Head over to the Launch Event and Roadshow at One Utama Shopping Centre from 10th-12th March 2017 for a chance to meet Robi as well as Robi’s creator, Professor Tomotaka Takahashi and Hajime ‘Jimmy’ Murano, the Chief Executive Officer & President of DeAgostini Asia. Lots of exciting activities await you such as a chance to interact with Robi, customised games for parent and child, Robi giveaways as well as Robi balloons. You can also catch 100 Robis perform and dance in sync simultaneously to music. Hope to see you there!


You can find out more product information on Robi at the official website here: www.myrobi.my or contact 03-2168 3738 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm) or by email: service@deagostini.my for general enquiries.



Robi will be available at these locations in Malaysia: 7-Eleven, Borders, Cold Storage, Hamleys, Jasons Food Hall, Kinokuniya, Mercato, MPH, myNEWS.com, Pansing, Popular, RadioShack, Times, WHSmith, or you may also order it through the website (FPX payment).


*This is a sponsored post.



If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or Dayre for daily updates. Thanks :)