Be a BRAT

If you visit this site often then you would know how much I have been blogging about this program. BRATs stands for Bright Roving Annoying Teens. I highly recommend those who are between 16 and 19 to apply for it!

Its a young journalist program organised by the Star, Malaysia's leading newspaper. We have a monthly pullout, Ole BRATs. So, part of the fun is having a chance to see your name and picture in the newpaper!

Being a BRAT I have been given the opportunity to explore. Plus you get to meet so many people, I do still keep contact with most of the people I met there. So if you think you're up for it, write an essay about yourself no longer than 1000 words (plus contact details) and send it to.....

BRATs, Youth Desk,
Menara Star,
15, Jalan 16/11,
46350 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.

We even have video promo, so check out the video below =) Try to spot me!

Happy Chinese New Year!

This Chinese New Year have been pretty awesome so far considering how last Christmas went down. I am having a great time meeting relatives and friends that I've never met in a while, and collecting Ang Pows! (Come on, which other festival have people dishing out cash!)

Even today something nice happen. My family wanted to have lunch at Tenji but we were put on the waiting list even though I went there to place a booking two days in advance. They did not pick up my calls on the previous two days =_= . Turns out a friend from church is dining there and already has a place. AND having booking 30 seats already (now you see why I could not get a seat), he managed to convince the manager to give my family 4 more seats. Isn't that just awesome??

I really like the food. Too bad I don't really have a stomach for sashimi cause' there was a really good selection there. I don't have many pictures of the food because I was busy eating (as usual)!

Posing with my coconut! They have a free flow of coconuts, which is awesome! I think I downed at least 5.


Another awesome thing, free flow Haagen Dazz ice-cream! We all practically went bezerk, the whole group consumed so many bowls of this thing.


We're in a restaurant. So why not a game of Taboo?? Lol, I've never played Taboo in a restaurant before let alone play ANY sorta of game.











I told you it was a big group!

Personally, I wished I had more stomach space because there was so much I did not get to try. And do check out Alice's site for a better review of the restaurant! She has more pictures of the food. I read her post last week and I immediately decided to go today =)

Sabahan Keropok Lekor

Keropok Lekor is a really delicious cracker! Its one of Malaysia's famous snack. Crunchy on the outside and a tad chewy on the inside, this cracker/chips kinda food is one of my favourite snacks. I remember buying it from vendors outside school years ago and occasionally at the market.

Sabahan keropok lekor is slightly different from the conventional one. Its slightly spicy and more chewy (or perhaps it just the way the lady I met makes it). Here's the summary on how to make it!

1. Cut the fish


2. Pound the herbs


3. Grind the meat (fish). This grinder reminds me of the one they used in Sweeney Todd, only a little smaller.


3. Mix, mix, mix!


3. Roll into sticks and boil


4. Fry in some fattening oil!




5. There you have it, Sabahan Keropok Lekor.

Cook "Phad Sabah" like a BRAT

We had a cooking session which was recorded Jamie Oliver style towards the end of the camp. The dish that the photography group came up with was called "Phad Sabah". Its a remake of the infamous Phad Thai fried noodle dish. We were in Sabah (a Malaysian state).....so we called it "Phad Sabah".....get it?.....because we were in that place.....nevermind, who cares =_=

Here's how my group did! Check out the video below =)

Watch out for me at the end! I was one of the "food tasters" so check it out, lol count it as a cameo appearance.

There were so many funny moments during the recording. Did you see the part where Jirwan(the chef) asked Sonia about the cost of the prawn? And when she bluntly replied "I have no idea!" we all burst into laughter. Towards the end after tasting the food, Adrian(the videographer) shouted "Ok, finish!" and all of us let out a huge sigh simultaneously. The noodles were really spicy and we had hold it in when the cameras were rolling. Plus the random questions like "Have you tied juggling an egg?". Sonia, if you're reading this, I have to say you're really funny lah!

And here's some shots of the whole cooking session.


Here is Michelle and Debra doing all the prep for their group's dish. Its call the 'Seafood Studded Balls' if I'm not mistaken. They added a very nice twist by 'studding' a traditional Malaysian pastry with macaroni. Talk about fusion!


Here's people mixing it like they mean it!


This is the stuffing for one of the dishes.


Ugh....veggie...


Sonia and Jirwan!


Allysa and Phynaz!


They're tasting their Seafood Pasta......SUPRISE!!!! Get it.....cause it's a surprise.....=_= LOL


Hui Ee and Sandra!


Adrian doing his thang with the camcorder.


This is one of the activities that I really enjoyed. Perhaps its because I got to sit down and do practically nothing! (taking photographs does not count as labour to me xP) I had the chance to relax and enjoy the fact that we're 3 hours into the jungle. Watching all the bloopers during the shoot really cracked me up and it really made my day. Check out the video if you havent!

At the playground

Remember my cousins that came over? When they came we went to the huge park at KLCC which is one of the big shopping malls around. Nice weather, bright lighting and colourful playgrounds makes the perfect set to take photographs!

Little Faces of Sepilok

Back to more posting about BRATs, I'm only halfway through! Well, we all had our assignments. I was in the photography group so each one of us had to come up with picture slides. Here's our finished product. The video below is the combined effort of Jirwan, Jeremy, Jasmine, Kar Man, Kel Vin and Sonia and me =)

I did a feature on the kids I met at the fishing village. Kids are so easy to photograph (at least for the ones I met). Their expressions were so raw and it was great having them as 'subjects' to photograph. I think this is my favourite thread of photographs so far!