Largest Hello Kitty & Sanrio Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur!

THE LARGEST SANRIO EVENT OF THE YEAR - OUR SANRIO TIMES 100 CLASSIC CHARACTERS GATHER AT KUALA LUMPUR TO CELEBRATE Showcasing over 300 valued vintage items, recalling our collective memories over the years.

Kuala Lumpur, 26 November 2018 - Founded in 1960, best known for global icon Hello Kitty, Sanrio offers a portfolio of more than 400 endearing characters. How well do you know about them? Each Sanrio member accompanies us along our life journey, symbolizing the wonderful memories of different generations. Licensed by SANRIO, organised by ALATA EVENTS and MACEXPO, supported by TOURISM MALAYSIA, Hello Kitty and her friends are coming to Malaysia for Our Sanrio Times - Kuala Lumpur at Hall 5, Level 5, Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur from 24 November 2018 to 6 January 2019, 11am to 9pm daily! The 1,500 sqm large exhibition features 13 Sanrio-themed zones where visitors can view and take photos of the 100 out of 400 adorable Sanrio characters in a variety of colourful settings, offering a visual experience like never before.

Set to be the largest exhibition of its kind in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, the exhibition, spanning over seven weeks and falling on school holidays, Christmas and the New Year, it’s not only an attraction to families and the little ones, but also to the young-at-heart as they relive their memories while capturing new ones. 4 Special Highlights In 13 Zones To Recall Childhood Memories With Sanrio Characters There are 4 key highlights in ‘Our Sanrio Times’. First, the most delighting part is ‘Sanrio Village” whereby 100 selected characters team up at the exhibition in Kuala Lumpur for the first time. Some characters take a ride on the Sanrio train which is made to imitate Sanrio Gift Gate of Gotanda, Tokyo in 1970s. Second, the replica of the first merchandise created by Sanrio, Hello Kitty coin purse, first shown in Malaysia. All loyal fans will definitely be surprised with it! Third, with the full support of Sanrio Japan and Sanrio Hong Kong, over 300 vintage items are on display offering unprecedented visual experience. Last but not least, designers in charge of Sanrio Japan is especially invited to create exclusive hand sketch for 9 well-known Sanrio characters, teaching us how to draw the lovely Sanrio characters step by step. This drawing tutorial undoubtedly become a great platform for fans to create their beloved characters! 

In addition to the 4 highlights above, the giant and adorable Hello Kitty plush in 3.5 m tall has her first encounter with fans! Apart from that, the exhibition includes various theme zones. For example, ‘Sanrio Time Tunnel’ leads us to have a quick review on all Sanrio classic characters over the past decades; ‘Paper Doll Fun’ recalls our childhood memory of ‘doll dressing up game’; ‘Vintage Stationery House” displays the Sanrio classic stationery; “Strawberry Newsroom” let all super fans read through the previous issues of Strawberry News which is a monthly magazine sharing Sanrio updates; “Strawberry Office” where you may find many secret of Strawberry King. Sanrio fans could even have a delighting experience of being the cover idol in 'Strawberry Studio’! Last but not least, it is a precious time for Sanrio character to visit Malaysia. Don’t miss the chance to travel with them in ‘Malaysia Zone’ to commemorate this perfect and enjoyable journey!

Our Sanrio Times Kuala Lumpur Exhibition information: 

Date : 24-11-2018 to 6-1-2019 Time : 11am to 9pm
Venue : Hall 5, Level 5, Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur
Official Website : www.oursanriotimes.my
Facebook : Our Sanrio Times Malaysia
Instagram : oursanriotimes.malaysia
Ticketing Website : www.ticketcharge.com.my
Hotline : +603 9222 8811
Ticket Categories :
- Malaysian Resident: RM33
- Special Ticket for OKU & Senior Citizen: RM20
- Non-Malaysian Ticket: RM60
* Tickets are also available at the ticket counter near the entrance of the exhibition.
** Admission is required for child with height of 90cm or above.
*** All ticket prices exclude RM2 processing fee.
 Terms & Conditions Apply.

There is a Game Zone in the exhibition area featuring 5 fun games: Finding Ribbon, Feed ‘D’ Fish, Let Me Roll, Shark Hunting and Rolling Stone, visitors stand a chance to win attractive prizes. Kindly refer to the appendix for more details on games and prizes. Our Sanrio Times Kuala Lumpur Exhibition is licensed by SANRIO, organised by ALATA EVENTS and MACEXPO, supported by TOURISM MALAYSIA, with QUILL CITY MALL KUALA LUMPUR as the Official Venue, REDBERRY MEDIA GROUP and NEWAY & CEO KARAOKE BOX as Promotion Partners. 

About SANRIO 

The worldwide lifestyle brand – Sanrio, founded on the "Small Gift, Big Smile" philosophy, where a small gift can bring a big smile to people of all ages, has been creating smiles for over fifty years with its endearing characters. Sanrio reaches the globe in over 109 countries with Sanrio-branded items, over 50,000 Hello Kitty items alone selling worldwide each year. Sanrio continues to spread big smile with small gift across nations through extensive network of Sanrio boutiques, national chain stores, department stores and many more.

Baby & Toddler Holiday Essential Packing List

It's that time of the year again where we plan for that exciting family year end holiday! Although packing can be a nightmare especially with a young baby. But fortunately, we have a checklist for you to gear up to keep your baby comfortable and happy! Yay!!!

Here's a checklist of items you and your baby shouldn't go on holiday without.

1. PACKING FOR BABY CARRY-ON-BAG

☐ Diapers
☐ Wet Wipes
☐ Changing Pad
☐ Baby Sling/Carrier 
☐ Baby Blanket
☐ Burp Clothes
☐ Nursing Cover
☐ Change of Clothes for Baby (you never know when they will have a wet burp!)
☐ Large Ziplock Bags
☐ Baby Food/Formula (just in case! it's always handy to have some)
☐ Baby Snacks (if your baby is already eating solids)
☐ Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer
☐ Infant Vapor Rub (baby's nose can get stuffy in the airplane and long road trips)

Also Highly Recommended :

☐ LITTLE PENYU ESSENTIAL'S BOO-BOO! BALM

Grab a tub of this in case of insects bites, small scratches or bruises on your little one. 

Boo-Boo! Balm is a nourishing topical application ideal for a range of stressful skin conditions. Formulated with premium Helichrysum essential oil, this moisturizing balm will soothe your baby's delicate skin keeping it soft without the boo-boos! With so many uses and applications, it is always great to have a jar handy at home and during outdoor activity.

Available online: http://www.lpessential.com/products/boo-boo-balm

2. PACKING FOR BABY'S SUITCASE

☐ Diapers & Wet Wipes
☐ Baby Bath Wash (try get those head to toe ones to help save some luggage weight space)
☐ Nail Clippers (baby's nails grow 5x faster than ours, super fast!)
☐ Breastpump, milk storage or formula
☐ Bottle Cleaning Liquid & Brush
☐ Ziplock Bags (these are great for storing snacks on the go upon your arrival)
☐ Baby's Clothes and Socks
☐ Baby's Pajamas for Sleeping
☐ Baby's Bolster (for a cuddly night)
☐ For Hot Weather Gear - sunscreen lotion, swim diapers, bathing suit, sunglasses, sun hat
☐ For Cold Weather Gear - coat, mittens, winter hat, snowsuit
☐ Baby Sling/Carrier
☐ Play Mat
☐ Your Baby's Favourite Toys (just pick not more than 3 items, after all human interactions are the best entertainment for these growing babies!)


3. OTHERS

☐ Light Weight Stroller
☐ Portable Speaker or Docking to play white noise or lullabies at night (for better sleep!)
☐ Camera!!!

Gosh, that's a long list and that's not even including YOUR checklist on what to pack. Hahaha! Anyhooo, I hope this checklist help. Wishing you a great family adventure ahead. Do share your family adventure with me! Email me at parentsavenue@gmail.com

Holiday Hugs To You! 
xoxo Stella Matilda
Editor

Feature: Top 11 Destinations To Visit in Taiwan with Melissa Alut Lim

We assembled at Kota Kinabalu International Airport for our flight to Taipei. Although we arrived at the airport at dawn, it was already crowded with passengers trying to check in. The flight took around 2 hours and 45 minutes. On arrival at TaoYuan international Airport we hopped on a metro to HSR TaoYuan Station and from there, we took a high speed train to Zuoyang Station, this journey took another 3 hours and 15 minutes, but we finally got a warmth welcomed by the local tour guide, Mr Liu who met us at Kaoxiong station which is located in the Southern Part Of Taiwan.

#1 MAJESTIC FO GUANG SHAN BUDDHA MUSEUM

The first place Mr. Liu took us was the Majestic Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum. The museum was constructed with the intention of enshrining the Buddha’s relic. Apparently, construction lasted for ten years, and the museum was officially opened on the 25th December 2011. Beside the scenic view, one can also do some shopping or, enjoy a scrumptious vegetarian lunch. As the children were a little tired from the travelling, we chose to rest for a while before heading out for our evening activities.

#2 BEAUTIFUL NIGHT SCENE AT KAOXIONG LOVE RIVER, AND LIUHE NIGHT MARKET
During the day, Kaoxiong is a business hub where traders, manufacturers and business associates meet. However by night, this business hub turns into a scenic nightspot. We were overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the Dagangpu Night Market. There were more than 100 stalls in the market, most of them serving snacks or providing entertainment and recreation, garments and groceries are rarely seen in the market. No matter what you like or how fussy your children are, a huge variety of delicious food, specialties, cold drinks and seafood here will definately satify. My daughter’s favourtie was the papaya milk and steamed salty shrimps in Kaohsiung, don’t miss the opportunity to taste those!

#3 SIZIHWAN BEACH - NANTOU JIJI TRAIN STATION
In the morning we were whisked away from Nantou County, which lies at the geographical heart of Taiwan and is the only county that does not border the coast, to visit Sizihwan bay for sight-seeing and experience the light rail transit (LRT) and stop at Nantou Jiji Train station old street. Walking around the small town of Checheng, you will find a scenic pond that once served as a log pond. Storage of logs in water has the additional advantages of preventing splitting of logs which might otherwise dry prior to milling. Take a leisurely stroll along the walking trail encircling the pond, and enjoy the tranquility by of nature at its best. At Checheng, visitors can sit back and relax a bit before experiencing a short nostalgic rail journey to another beautiful town.

#4 SUN MOON LAKE
Just under 2 hours bus ride from Taichung lies the majestic, blue and misty Sun Moon Lake. With a surface area of 7.93 sqkm, the Sun Moon Lake of Nantou County is the largest freshwater lake in Taiwan! Surrounded by a stunning mountainous backdrop, picturesque bicycle routes and with its clear turquoise waters. The lake can get extremely busy over the weekends, especially during the holiday seasons. We found a great variety of local food and popular Taiwanese Milk Tea are serves here.

#5 FORMOSAN ABOROGINAL CULTURAL VILLAGE
From Sun Moon Lake Station (south east of the lake and just north of the Ita Thao community) to the Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village. During the short ride in the cable car of Sun Moon Lake Ropeway, we had a bird eye’s view of the entire lake. It’s breath-taking! Such memorable trip for our entire family and especially for our children.

#6 NATIONAL TAICCHUNG THEATER
After exploring the cultural village, we headed up North to Taichung City and visited the National Taichung Theater. The whole theater is composed of almost completely of curved walls. The walls flow into the ceilings with no clear boundaries dividing them. In fact, the entire space flows without boundaries, allowing the venue to host nearly any type of event.


#7 FENGJIA NIGHT MARKET
At night, we visited the Fengjia Night Market in search of more Taiwan’s famous street food. This market had more than food and entertainment! We found the clothes on offer unique and fairly priced. In addition, the most fashionable mobile phones are also the cheapest in Taichung. You can go shopping without any worries!

#8 JIUFEN OLD STREET
One of the most interesting places we visited during our Taiwan travel was the day trip to JiuFen Old Street. We felt we had been transported back to the olden days of Taiwan and found many interesting shops. There is even a beautiful ocean view of the Keelung outer sea! If you are wondering why is it call Jiu Fen (the 9th cents street) but not 8th cents or 7th cents, it was said that long time ago there were only nine families in Jiufen. Before the roads on land were built, all materials were transported via ships. Thus a habit was formed that nine pieces of same object were purchased at one time for reservation. Hence, the place was called Jiufen (The 9 th Street).

#9 SHIFEN PINXI– THE LANTERN FLYING
Pingxi is known for lantern-flying, they even have an annual lantern festival that is typically done during Chinese new year. We did a fun bonding activity with the children, whereby we wrote wishes on the lantern then send them off to the sky for good luck.

#10 XIMENDING – THE SHOPPING SPREE
We also visited Xi Men Ding, which is famed for a diversity of entertainments and activities that allure large numbers of young people. It has been noted as the most fashionable and popular shopping area in Taiwan.

#11 EVERRICH DUTY FREE SHOPPING ZONE
Finally we headed to the diversly stocked Duty free Shopping zone in Taipei 101 to pick up some “essentials” before flying home.

If you are planning your next trip or heading to Taiwan soon, consider adding these 11 spots to your itinerary. We had a great time and I’m sure you would too. Every place on the list offers you a diverse experience that will make your trip to Taiwan unforgettable. With a wide range of things to do there is sure to be something on this list for everyone in the family to enjoy.

Written by Melissa Alut Lim. Mother of two children and the Director of Rustic Borneo.

Should you need help or advice on planning your next family’s trip, you can contact Melissa at Rustic Borneo. Her email is melissalim@rustic-travel.com or you can also contact her at 088-385622 via office telephone.

They are on Facebook and Instagram too! 

Holiday Packages Here>>> www.holidaydeals.my

CARING FOR PETS DURING PREGNANCY

To many of us, pets are family. While it is considered fine to be around most of these furry family members while pregnant, there are also some safety measures that you need to be careful of. Here are some of the important points and the reasons behind them.

IF YOU HAVE CATS IN THE HOUSE

• You do need to be very careful about cleaning the litter box. If possible, have someone else do it. The reason is, cat faeces (also soil or sand where they have been) may carry Toxoplasma; a parasite transmissible to human. Serious birth defects such as eye and brain damage may occur if you get Toxoplasmosis during pregnancy or even a few months prior to conception. Touching the cat faecal material and accidentally putting the contaminated hand into your mouth could result in infection as the parasite is transmitted via the oral route.

• Toxoplasma does not become infectious for one to five days. So if you are the only one at home who is available to clean the cat’s litter box, do change the litter daily, and remember to use disposable gloves. Remove and throw the disposable gloves after each use and wash both your hands thoroughly with soap and water straight away.

• Stay away from stray cats.

• If you have an outdoor cat or a free-roaming cat that does its business in the garden, you need to take the same precautions during gardening. Wear gloves and wash your hands immediately because you can be exposed to Toxoplasmosis just as easily.

• If you have been around cats for a while, you may have already developed immunity to the disease. A blood test will be able to check this.

• You also can get Toxoplasmosis from eating undercooked meat, especially pork, lamb or deer meat. For this reason, avoid giving your cat undercooked meat.

IF YOU HAVE DOGS IN THE HOUSE

No matter the size and breed, keep yourself safe during pregnancy by taking these steps:

• Make sure your dog is up-to-date with vaccination. Complete them before your baby is born.

• If your dog has bad habits like biting or jumping, train him to stop doing these behaviours before you have your baby.

• Avoid getting bitten by a dog and do not let your dog jump up on your belly.

• Your baby will take much of your time and attention. So if you and your dog are especially close, ask your partner or a family member to spend more time with the pet. Developing relationship with others can help prepare your dog for changes to come once your baby is born.

If you have pet rodents (guinea pigs, mice and hamsters), be extra careful with these pocket pets. They may carry a virus called lymphocytic choriomeningitis, that can cause severe birth defects and miscarriage. The virus can be transmitted from a bite of an infected animal, and by contact with an infected animal’s urine, blood, saliva, droppings or nesting materials. You can also get the virus by breathing in dust or droplets while sweeping up droppings or cleaning out a cage of an infected animal.

Guinea pigs and hamsters can get infected with the virus from being in direct contact with wild mice at a breeder, in a pet shop, or even in your home. The house mouse (a wild mouse found near and inside houses) is the main source of the virus. These are some tips to help keep you safe from this virus when you are pregnant.

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching pet rodents.

• Ask help from other family members to care for the pet and clean its cage. The cage cleaning must be performed outside or in a well-ventilated area. Cages must be kept clean and any dirty bedding must be removed.

• Keep the pet rodents in a separate part of your home.

• Avoid contact with wild rodents, and talk to your healthcare provider before using any pest control chemicals in your home.

If you have exotic pets and reptiles (snakes, turtles, tortoises and lizards), you need to know that some of these animals can carry microorganisms that infect and cause serious disease to human, such as Salmonellosis (an infection from a bacteria called Salmonella spp.). Most Salmonellosis cases are caused by ingestion of contaminated and raw food sources, such as poultry, meat and eggs. But it can also be carried by reptiles. If you are pregnant, keep away any pet reptile from your home before your baby is born.

As a conclusion, when you are pregnant, bear in mind that not all pets are OK to be around due to the zoonotic or communicable diseases. Pregnant women have to be careful about the kinds of animals they keep in their home and know how to handle and care for them safely.

Written by Dr. Cecilia Boklin 

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | Kinabalu Animal Clinic

For more information about caring for your pets during pregnancy, kindly contact Dr. Cecilia Boklin at Kinabalu Animal Clinic. To book an appointment for your pets, visit www.kinabaluvet.com