Little Giraffe Story House 长颈鹿故事館 & Little Moments Cafe 容易揾

I first got to know about Little Giraffe when I randomly stumbled across their Facebook page quite a few years ago, back when they were still operating out of a shipping container. Fast forward a few years, I read about how they had a makeover, converting a Chinese new village wooden house into what they describe as a community library designed for kindergarteners and primary school-aged children.

They have convertible spaces that connects both the in and outdoors (if you look properly, there is a window frame that is open to allow children to climb onto the outdoor deck from inside the library). I guess this also allows for a better flow of air and light.

They claim that 90% of their books are picture books and are mainly in Chinese, although they also have Malay and English books. I am guessing that they also serve as a transit point for the children from the Chinese school just up the road, to promote some parent-child bonding time, as they require children to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Needless to say, this community project also hopes to cultivate the habit of reading.

In addition to borrowing and reading books, they also have monthly story-telling sessions by qualified and experienced story-tellers. They also have handicraft sessions that enhances the parent-child relationship.

Thanks to a group of enthusiastic architecture students who worked on a shoestring budget of donations, the transformation took place, whereby much of the material were adapted or recycled. They recycled the wood that were taken apart from the original frame of the building. Some were made into the furniture, some were made into the shelves of the library. Wall panels are left in their original colours, so that we could see a little of the building's history. I really appreciate their effort in preserving the "story" that is housed within these walls.

You could see the Rojak Wan aunty prepare your rojak from inside of you choose a strategic spot

Unlike how they used to only be a book club, they added a cafe to this new upgrade. I suppose they would need some form of additional income to keep the place going. The "quiet" library part of the building is cleverly separated from the "noisy" cafe part of the building by the original living room that now serves as a buffer area for the public to move around.

So what do they serve here? Personally, they serve food that has heart and soul, not much of those fancy cafe stuff. The ones that we like best would hands-down be their rojak and cendol. The rojak here is by Rojak Wan, who apparently has been serving fruit rojak from a truck in TTDI since the 90s.

Both dishes come in generous servings and both do not fall short on taste. They even come served in tableware that I could find at my grandparents' home.

They also have home-cooked main meals, which they rotate. One of those meals is this Oh Bak Ji rice (pork and yam ball rice):

It is like a Japanese omurice with pork and yam ball (yes, it has that Japanese curry, too). If you are feeling like going meatless, they have a breakfast meal that does not have ham or bacon:

They serve coffee too, and that includes Vietnamese drip coffee that will surely give you a little zing to keep you properly caffeinated for the day.

Oh, and be prepared to have your lap turned into a snuggly cushion for the neighbourhood cat. For those of you who suffer from ailurophobia (in simpler terms, cat phobia), you have been notified ;)

Little Giraffe Story House 长颈鹿故事館 & Little Moments Cafe 容易揾
114 Jalan 15, Batu 11 Cheras, 43200 Cheras, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
M: 016-613 7362, 012-632 2955
Wednesday to Saturday Noon to 10:00pm
Sunday Noon to 7:00pm

ICONS Music

This post is different from my other posts, is it not? Normally, I would talk about food, my travels, events I attended and aspects of working with Mum. This post is a super delayed favour I promised to fulfil for an ex-classmate of mine, the very sweet Tommy, a friend I have had for 19 years to date.

Although we were in the same class for only 2 years, our classes were next to each other for another 2  years, which meant that we saw each other heaps regardless. The whole group of us, in fact - all still pretty close-knit till today.

We have seen each other go through life using different pathways, the ups and downs of each journey, the many crossroads taken to arrive at where we are at today. For Tommy, he did a few other things before actualising this music studio with his brothers, Michael and Daryl. If I remember correctly, he dabbled in property and also in pharmaceuticals prior to becoming his own boss.

His music studio is called ICONS Music and is located along one of the busy Puchong stretches of the LDP highway. Conveniently, there is a big food court, the Puchong branch of Asia Cafe, should one need fuel for the body and parking (there is basement parking under the food court).

Tommy is constantly on the go, either delivering instruments to clients, coordinating events or stocking up his warehouse. He hardly gets time to rest but he ensures that he gets quality time with family and close friends. He is one of the few I proudly share quality catch up time with and also the few I can hold a conversation in Hakka with.

He carries quite a few instruments of different labels at his studio. There are drum sets, guitars, basses, ukuleles, amplifiers and other accessories. Some of the brands available include Epiphone, Gibson, L. Luthier, Pearl, Tama, Peavey, Marshall, MXR, Boss, DigiTech and Behringer.

In addition to selling and supplying instruments, he also provides guitar repairing services at his studio.

And like any other music studio in Malaysia, they provide music lessons for both adult and children. There are rooms for guitar, drum, ukulele and piano lessons.

However, to me, what makes his studio stand out is the availability of recording and jamming studios. There are two of these studios and I have heard him sharing stories of how some college bands record demo tracks till the wee hours of the morning sometimes. They charge by the hour and from what I remember, the prices are reasonable. Best to contact them for the most updated pricing.

Oh, and they are situated on the top level of a three-storey shoplot, so be prepared for a climb. ;)

ICONS Music

30-2 Jalan OP 1/3, Pusat Perdagangan One Puchong, Off Jalan Puchong, 47160 Puchong, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Tel: +60 3 8071 5433; E-mail: enquiry.iconsmusic@gmail.com

Daily Noon to 11:00pm (except public holidays)

The Teamwork Rainbow

One of the many activities that we frequently carry out at Honey Bee is completing scenarios to display on our walls. These scenarios are like large scale craft projects, which involve a group of children, sometimes from mixed age groups.

For this rainbow scenario, the children were guided by Puan Nora and Miss Foo, who modeled what to do for the children to imitate and complete independently.

Some children chose to sit on the floor, some chose to stand while a few others chose to grab chairs.

There was much negotiating that occurred between the children; lots of asking for glue, passing different colour paper and asking for help with tearing or cutting.

They would also ask the Puan Nora in Malay, "Puan Nora, macam ini ah?" or Miss Foo in Mandarin, "这样可以吗?"

It is always a sight to behold to watch children working collaboratively, as they use so many of their existing social, cognitive and language skills. In addition, the sharing and negotiating that occurs further develops their emotional and higher order thinking.

Taska & Tadika Kembangsari: Concert & Graduation 2013

I think by now everyone knows that I make a trip back in November every year. The reason I make this annual trip, or try to, is to be part of our centre's Concert & Graduation, which is the biggest event on our calendar. This year, this event is extra meaningful because it is to celebrate our 20th anniversary.

Mum postponed it to the final week of November, instead of the usual 3rd Saturday of November to accommodate my schedule. I missed not being part of the setting up, especially to be there at the school hall to watch the stage come to live. There is much involved in making a large empty stage fit for a childcare centre/kindergarten concert. Our main props: colourful balloons and long pieces of cloth.

Oh, and lots of wire, fishing line and stainless steel rods.

Not to mention lots of (loud) coordination between the people on the stage, below the stage and right at the top.

We had two staff members and an ex-student who decided to overcome their fear of heights to help with the tying of the cloth.

Slowly but surely, we filled up the airspace and had quite some fun positioning the different pieces of cloth.

Of course, the stage would not be complete if it did not had the theme displayed:

As the children and educators had already prepared the backdrop, we made use of it after we added some glitter to it.

The result was fantastic:

I really liked how the shadow dances as the stage lights switch. From down stage, that depth effect was mesmerizing.

The hall was full for the entire evening, something we are very proud of every year - supportive families who stay till the very end of the event.

After a successful evening, we took down everything the next morning and brought the balloons back to the centre. Like we do every year, we gave the balloons out to the children during the year end party.

Here is to thank everyone who has supported us throughout the years. Honey Bee would not be what it is today without all of you. Thank you!