RedRibbon Days

Top 10 Christmas Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:45:00 +0000

Ho ! Ho ! Ho ! Good ole jolly Christmas is here again. At RedRibbon Days, festive season as such always delight us tremendously. It is after all a season of gifting, love, and yes, lots of parties and indulgences. Every year, we get request from our customers to come up with a list of gift ideas for their love ones. This year is no exception - the request came knocking early since end of October ! Some came to us with exactly a whole list in mind - and requested for these "experiences" to be packaged in our beautiful gift pack and yes, a Santa Clause to deliver these gifts. You read it right - our delivery team will be donning on Santa Clause outfit and deliver these gifts to the doorsteps of the lucky recipients. Ho ! Ho ! Ho ! (Our delivery team is certainly going to need lots and lots of anti-perspiring deodorant under these extreme heat!)

Nevertheless, we are very excited and have been rather giggly about it. The thought of delivering gifts don in "costume" never fails to excite us. Previously it was nurses, army, dracula and witches in brooms - and for Christmas, the good old Santa.

As by popular demand, we now present to you our Top 10 Christmas Favorites :-

A French Affair on Christmas Eve

Customise Your Own Dress

Pilot For A Day

Personalised Coffee Table Photobook(10 pages)

Body Massage

KL Sky Tour for Two

RM200 Shoe-a-holic Gift Voucher

Chocolate Rendezvous for Two

Easy Peasy Cupcake 101

Wet Sphereing Ride for Two

We have experiences that are suitable for kids, new born, mother-to-be, couples, individuals, grandparents and even for groups to enjoy together.

The team at RedRibbon Days take this opportunity to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year !!

Signed, Sealed & Delivered

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:10:00 +0000

On 24th September 2009, The Star released a two-full spread feature page about RedRibbon Days. The team at RedRibbon Days was ecstatic when the reporter that did the article called us and informed us of the good news! At 7.45am, Nik head straight to the newspaper vendor at Bangsar and grab 2 copies of The Star Newspaper.

We turned, flipped and found it ! Titled at "Signed, Sealed & Delivered" the article was articulately written and filled with many attractive images. Here's the story for those of you who missed the press release.
-extracted from The Star Newspaper, 24th September 2009

Looking for a gift that's truly special? RedRibbon may have something in store for you.

HERE'S the idea: a physical gift, a tangible present, is nice to have, but as we all know, nothing lasts forever. But an experience, a memory, is something a person can carry with them all their lives.

Timothy Tiah wanted to give his girlfriend something really special on her birthday. He knew a nicely-wrapped gift just wouldn't be enough. He came across a company named RedRibbon Days, called them and set up an arrangement. The surprised girlfriend found herself in a shoe store in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, except that the store had been closed especially for her, so that she could shop and enjoy champagne with Tiah, and made to feel like a princess for a day.

Then there was Charlene Wong, who wanted to do something special for her father Henry's birthday. Since she was in the United States and couldn't be home for the occasion, she called RedRibbon Days and arranged for her parents to have high tea at Carcosa Seri Negara. It all worked like a charm, and the senior Wong had a pleasant surprise when the RedRibbon staff turned up at his doorstep to deliver the special gift complete with red balloons.

Don't beat yourself up for not knowing that such a company exists in Malaysia. RedRibbon Days is still pretty new, having been created only in 2007 and launched in the middle of last year. But they've been giving a lot of people happy memories ever since.

It all started when RedRibbon Days founder and "chief experience officer" Sherin Wong was working in the corporate sector in Australia and found herself constantly sending cliched and obvious gifts to her mother on special occasions.

"It was always about hampers and flowers!" said Wong. "Imagine me having to send flowers to my mother for Mother's Day and flowers again for her birthday and flowers yet again for Christmas! The novelty wasn't there, and even my mum implored me to stop sending her flowers!"

Worst of all, she bought a hamper for her mother through a renowned online gifts company, and found that the bird's nest delicacy in the hamper was fake.

Upon her return to Malaysia, Wong began work on setting up an online gifts business. She consciously avoided providing tangible gifts after what her own experience had taught her. By sheer luck, she stumbled upon a concept in Britain where people could buy experiences as gifts.

"I believe the concept of experiential gifting is unique, different and most important of all, convenient and hassle-free for Malaysians dwelling overseas," said Wong. "We have so many Malaysians living and working around the world, with their family and friends back in Malaysia."

She called up her friend, Nik Hidayati Nik Ramli, with whom she was always talking business ideas. Nik Hidayati had been back and working in Malaysia a good few years before Wong decided to come home. They brainstormed over latte.

"When I mentioned the idea of RedRibbon Days to her, she was immediately sold to the idea and decided to quit her full-time job to do this with me," said Wong.

Thus RedRibbon Days was born, and when the business started growing, they brought in a third partner, Tan Ming Nu.

RedRibbon Days was officially inaugurated on June 19 last year. The name was chosen because Wong used to receive gifts that were wrapped and tied with a red ribbon, thus she always associates "red ribbon" with gifts and happy things.

There are literally hundreds of experiences from which to choose, so it's easy to get bleary-eyed from checking out the website (www.redribbondays.com.my) or the brochure booklet. Prices range from something like RM30 for a Dry Sphereing Ride For Two (rolling around in an inflatable 3m-diameter ball) to RM16,100 for a Private Luxury Yacht Charter. There's literally something for everyone – individuals, couples, families, kids.

Some of the more interesting experiences include a helicopter ride across Kuala Lumpur (RM2,000), Personal Chef Private Dining For Eight (RM2,600), Tandem Paramotor Adventure (RM800), Total Make-Over (RM700), Easy Peasy Cupcakes 101 (RM85), Pregnancy Photography (RM600), and Kids' Cooking And Baking (RM85).

"Customers can also personalise their chosen experience, based on their preference," said Nik Hidayati. "If they'd like to add champagne, flowers or chocolates, we can do that."

"To date, we have over 500 members in our database and over 1,000 people who have experienced a RedRibbon Day," said Wong. "So far, the response has been very positive. We have buyers from all around the world – China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Britain, the United States and Singapore."

She said Malaysians are taking to this concept relatively well. They've had much return business. Her personal target is to have 10% of Malaysians experience a RedRibbon Day.

"We've had many customers who told us how convenient it was for them to choose an experience, buy it online and have the experience delivered to the recipient on the preferred date and time," said Wong.

The album cover for Nik Hannani's Rock Star For A Day experience.

Rock star for a day

Nik Hannani Nik Ramli's Rock Star For A Day experience turned out more surprises than anyone had expected. Not even the RedRibbon staff anticipated what would happen.Nik Hannani, or Nikki, 16, promptly arrived at Purple Houz in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, in the late afternoon, with her very own entourage in tow – four of her schoolmates and friends. The first thing on the itinerary was a make-up session with Becky Wong of Starlight Concepts. You see, the Rock Star For A Day experience comes with not just a professional recording session but also a photoshoot for the album cover that will be used on the CD.

After the album cover shoot with photographer Olivia Oon was over, it was off to the recording rooms upstairs. Prior to the actual recording, preparations turned into an impromptu jam session for Nikki, who had brought along her own acoustic guitar, and her entourage, with production engineer Collin Chin accompanying her on electric guitar. There was a moment of slight pressure (which rock star doesn't face such moments?) when another production engineer Harvinder "Harvey" Singh came into the room and asked for Nikki's song list. She had a hard time choosing the songs to record. In the end, her entourage helped her to settle for a medley of songs by Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Then it was off to the recording proper, and armed with her guitar, Nikki launched into her medley. Nice first take, but a guitar string was slightly out of tune. That was quickly fixed, and it was off into second take, as Nikki grew more confident and comfortable despite a slight cold. Then asked what she would like to try next, Nikki chose an unplugged version of The Jackson 5's I Want You Back. It was at that moment that a surprise celebrity guest, Malaysian Idol runner-up Dina, came in to listen to Nikki. Here, it should be noted that a celebrity guest is not part of the RedRibbon Rock Star experience package. Dina's appearance was completely unexpected and a bonus for Nikki who got some pointers from Dina on breathing techniques and phrasing. Moral of the story? You never know who might turn up at a recording studio.

"It was everything I imagined it to be," Nikki said after it was all over. "It was fascinating. I didn't know anything about being in a recording studio, so everything surprised me."

Time to fly: Captain Anselm Francis of the Subang Jaya Flying Club taking Khairil M. Bahar through the pre-flight check of the aircraft, a Cessna 150.

Pilot for a day

Not since 1783, when the first human beings left the safety of the ground in a hot-air balloon in Paris, France, had human imagination about flying been so fired up.In Khairil M. Bahar's case, it was the prospect of getting to handle the controls of a plane without ever attending flying school.It was a nice day for flying. Khairil, musician and filmmaker, was ready and raring to head for the wild blue yonder, visibly excited. Never mind that the sun was scorchingly hot, or that Captain Anselm Francis of the Subang Flying Club in Selangor informed us that crosswinds were becoming a common occurrence. The clear blue skies dappled with cotton-white clouds were so inviting.

Khairil, well-known for his independent film Ciplak some years ago and who is now directing TV shows, had opted for the Pilot For A Day experience. All one had to do was turn up at Terminal 3 of the Subang Jaya Airport, and the professional pilot of the day, in this case Captain Francis, would take care of everything. After a pre-flight check of the aircraft, a Cessna 150, the captain explained the functions of all the various exterior parts of the aircraft, and Khairil had the chance to ask questions about everything he'd ever wanted to know about a plane.

Then it was time to fly.

The first surprise for our pilot for a day? The cockpit turned out to be a squeeze-space, with both pilot and "co-pilot" barely having any space to move.

Some minutes later, the Cessna sped along the runway, and lifted off into the big sky. The second surprise was the take-off. It was nothing like what Khairil had experienced on commercial flights. He said the feeling was like "getting into a car with a driver who's drunk." The plane literally swung left and right upon take-off, but settled into a smooth ride after that. The plane flew a circuit for about 45 minutes, and during the short flight, Khairil got to fly the plane himself, all under the observation and guidance of Captain Francis, of course.

When the plane finally landed, Khairil stepped out of it with an even wider smile on his face.

"We flew past the Shah Alam stadium," he said. "Looking at everything from so high up, with everything so tiny below you, you just forget about all the stress in your life. Stress? What stress?" he laughed.

Razzle dazzle: Personal assistant Christine Loo is transformed into a Model For A Day by the RedRibbon experience.

Model for a day

Anyone who's seen an episode of America's Next Top Model or Janice Dickinson's Modelling Agency knows modelling isn't all about easy glamour. It's really hard work, and tough mentally and physically for those who choose this career.

Christine Loo, 32, isn't a professional model and has no modelling experience whatsoever but she was interested enough to try being a Model For A Day. The experience started at 10.30am, and Loo was there at Real Pixel Studio, in Petaling Jaya, promptly, getting cosy in no time, settling into the chair in front of the mirror for her make-up session.

But if you think modelling is a breezy affair – come in, sit down, get make-up done, and then pose – you're in for a rude shock. Loo spent a good 45 minutes to an hour just doing nothing but letting Becky Wong of Starlight Concepts do her hair and make-up. But of course, one can always strike up an interesting conversation with the make-up artist, and that's what Loo did, while the rest of us ... erm, went to an early lunch.

Wong's make-up and her years of experience transformed Loo's already good looks into something stunning.

"It was fun to have a different look," said Loo later. "I felt like a star after that."

Then it was time to get on the tiny "stage" in the studio and pose under the direction and instruction of photographer C.Y. Wong, who has photographed celebrities for entertainment and fashion magazines.Loo discovered it was not easy to pose. What you see done effortlessly by models in magazines are sometimes awkward and difficult stances and positions, but look good in photos.And then came the inevitable – facial muscle cramps. Even smiling too much can be punishing.

"Trying to smile for more than 10 shots wasn't a field trip as it almost gave me lock jaw," Loo laughed.

But the results were worth all the trouble. The photos were gorgeous, sleek and stylish. Loo admitted that after the experience, she now knows that modelling isn't as easy as it seems.

"Posing for the camera is nothing like learning your ABCs," she said. "You have to angle and position yourself to portray different types of looks. I had to move around a lot and strike different poses. And I completely ran out of poses after a few clicks." She said she was glad to have taken up the challenge, and now looks at models with more respect.

RedRibbon Days can be contacted via 03-2093 5973, fax: 03-2093 5943, or e-mail:
info@redribbondays.com.my.

Can't Buy Me Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:49:00 +0000

I normally flip through the newspaper with not much interest for political news or scandals - it is our (RedRibbon Days team) habit to look through the newspaper for new interesting ideas,news on us, and perhaps, if we are lucky enough - we will spot one or two articles of great interest.

On February 15th, The Star under the section of Quick Study(Fit4Life) released an article with the headline "Can't Buy Me Happiness". A catchy topic that soon caught my interest and I read on.

The article started off like this :-

"Money is an emotional issue, especially during economic hard times. Social scientists have always warned that once a person's needs are met, money doesn't buy happiness. .. Ryan Howell, an assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, found that buying experiences - such as vacations, going to the theater or renting a sailboat - give people more happiness than buying material things. The study, of 154 people ages 19 to 50, showed that experience increase happiness because they are often social in nature." - extracted from The Star, QuickStudy

I couldn't agree further with Ryan on this. After all, this is what RedRibbon Days is truly about. We are about experiences, gifting and creating memorable days! The concept of gifting previously has always been about chocolates, hampers, flowers and photo frames.

Gifting is an extension of one - and we should always express some thoughts when giving a gift rather than looking around our house / office for anything which could be re-gift. The experience of receiving a gift that is beautifully wrapped up and delivered to the recipient's door is amazing. What heighten the experience of receiving a gift is when a recipient received an experience in an envelope/box! An experience can be something relaxing and pampering like a day spa, or something more adventurous like Sphereing Rides.

Mr. Howell also went on to say that experiences tend to make people feel more alive. "People report a sense of feeling invigorated or inspired. Experiences may also yield more happiness because people are left with positive memories, a sort of return on their investment.

Many of our RedRibbon Days experiences are uniquely selected and packaged in way that could achieve what Mr. Howell mentioned above. We have a full day pampering treatment for those who needs to feel invigorated and we have creative classes to inspire people.

Mr. Howell also mentioned in his article that it is not material things don't bring any happiness. It's just that they don't bring as much.

Once again, I can't stress enough on how true that is. Yes, material things do bring some sort of happiness to me(and most people), but the satisfaction from the end of receiving a material thing is just not enough good enough. I certainly don't feel inspired from receiving another candle holder and most definately not invigorated from a chocolate hamper.

We create our own "Days"

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:19:00 +0000

In average, our life consist of 27,610 days. But how many of these days are spent truly memorable and amazingly? Yes, we celebrate few traditional-passed-down occasions such as Valentine's, Mother's Day, Father's Day to name a few. What happen to those other people in our life that is truly, perhaps, worth a thank you at least?

I could think of half a dozen people that I must thank in my life (apart from those mentioned above).My nana, for instance. She see me grow up, she is after all my mother's mother and I probably inherited some of her blood, if not wealth. So, yes, a day to thank our Nana is in order. I've always wanted to thank my Nanny too - the sweet lady who brought me up. She's the one that make sure I sleep enough, eat well(even though, not hygienically) and yes, always bring me along to the night market, morning market and her many mahjong sessions.

I also have to thank my friends - so a Friends Day is also a must. Well, saying so, there are ovbviously many types of friends. There are friends who look down on you when you did badly in school( I must say, to thank them is definately a must - after all, they are those that motivated me to work hard and be successful), friends who only are friends with you when they are drunkity, drunk drunk ( the next time when they see you down the road, sober - they can't even bother to smile when your eyes met. Hmm...should I even thank them? Well, at least they kept me entertained when I was drunk myself). And I must stay, a few true friends who went through thick and thin with me.

What about a "Me Day"? We always send gifts to our family, friends and our partner(s) when it is their birthday or when they are getting married. Some of us(in saying so, I include yours truly) don't even get a birthday gift on our birthdays! So, I say, we must have a "Me Day" whereby it is dedicated to your very own self. A day to do nothing but pamper and treat yourself to something nice, comforting, and relaxing that complements your lifestyle and taste. It is a day to stop thinking of pleasing other people, making sure they are happy, and yes, a me me me day!!!! Call it selfish and self centered? Nope.

Mother & Daughter Bonding Day - many of us (again, guilty as charged)often neglected our beloved mother when we are busy with our worklife, lovelife, personal life. We only say thank you to our mother's (really) twice a year - Birthday and Mother's Day. Well, and if you are lucky, on that very year, 3 times - the third will be on your wedding day. So, as I'm saying this, I'm actually purchasing a Mother & Bonding experience and booking my mum and I in for a pampering session of spa, pedicure and manicure this weekend.

Hmm...Ah yes, how can I forget to thank our customers who have continuously and relentless supporting us since our birth? So, a "RedRibbon Days Customer Day" is definately a must. So, to all RedRibbon Days - thank you for your support and please continue to support us!

We are on Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:01:00 +0000

We are excited and thrilled! Finally, we have our very own Gift Application in our RedRibbon Days group in FaceBook. Join us at RedRibbon Days Group in Facebook and we promise to keep you updated with our new release, promotion and yes, coming shortly, we will even have something to keep you entertain for at least 60 seconds.

Check out our gift application on Facebook and start sending a RedRibbon Day e-Gift to your friends in facebook anytime of the day!

Log on to facebook and join our group now !

farewell 2008 and hello 2009

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:51:00 +0000

2008 came and left. It has been a year filled with many challenges expecially for a fledging company like RedRibbon Days. In a blink of an eye, we have turned 1 year old since our company was first registered. Today, we have over 1000 over people who had had a RedRibbon Day and this year, we promise to do even better.

Life at RedRibbon Days.

Finding the perfect candidate - is like looking for a needle in a haystack

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:15:00 +0000

RedRibbon Days is growing. We need to find a new team member to help out with the increasing workload so we put up an advertisement in Jobstreet.com last week. The response was amazing. We received many applications - but sad to say, none of them met our criteria. First, it was mentioned in the ad that applicants should submit their application addressing the SELECTION CRITERIA in detail. None of them actually adhered to that. Perhaps, they do not understand what is selection criteria?

Secondly - I think they really need some proper guidance when it comes to job application. So many don'ts were being done and so many do's were being ignored. Well, I for one, am very particular when it comes to job application. Well, can't blame me really, after all, I was in that industry for almost 3 years ! I am used to writing hundreds of resume, cover letters and selection criteria in a day ! Amongst some of the terrible mistakes the applicants made in their applications:-

Unprofessional email address (i.e. wannabebabe@gmail.com)
No cover letter was enclosed
No proper format in resume
No mention of achievements in resume
The ad clearly states apply to "a particular person - with name given" - but ALL the application are NOT directed to the particular someone at all! What is the point of the advertiser putting a name on the advertisement then?
No call to enquire. The applicants could easily google us and find our contact number on the internet to inquire more about the position or at least check on the status of their application. Nope. I did not receive a single phone call from the applicants.
No address of selection criteria though its was specifically mentioned in the ad they HAVE to

I'm appalled. At this rate, I doubt I'll ever find a suitable candidate. Where is our new RedRibboner? (Hmmm.. how nice it would be if I could duplicate myself or Nik?)

So many things to do so little time!

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:15:00 +0000

Ok.. my apologies for the delay in posting up anything since March (OMG!) Things have been really hectic in RedRibbon Days. We were frantically trying to rush everything for the BIG day - the launch on 19th June - which was, I'm proud to say - very well done. In fact, I don't think there's anything much to complain (of course, there's always something for me to find fault at if I want to). To my ardent readers, please bear with me for a while - and I promise to get back to blogging with exciting pictures on the launch!

Till then - it's chow time.

Daylesford and a menu of small tastes

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:21:00 +0000

My trip to Melbourne this time was indeed an eventful one. I made it to all the places that were on my itinerary and of course, wine and dine throughout the whole trip. Food connoisseur I'm not - but I sure am a slave to delectable good food. And yes, also a sucker for alcohol. Without some good wine - any food would be tasteless to me.

My taste bud are salivating while recalling on this particular wine and food degustation that I had in Lake House in Daylesford. Before whetting your appetite with images of the food I had - a walk through of Daylesford and the journey there. Daylesford is a very tiny town tucked quietly away from the hustle and bustle of the city, 72 minutes ride away from Melbourne city. The journey had always been one filled with many conversations about life, work, ambitions and of course - a little day dreaming of my becoming of a multi millionaire by 32. The view along the way was spectacular. Unlike in Malaysia, all you see along the stretch of highway are unsightly and unkempt forest and rest stop. I , in particular take the 72 minutes to do some soul searching.

Ain't these postboxes cute ? Yes - they are still stuck in the past. But I absolutely love them. So old-school.

Daylesford town.

Entering the little town of Daylesford, you will come across old-school shops and signs. For those curios, Daylesford is well-known for its mineral spring and spa. In fact, it is one of Victoria best Spa Retreat. This time round I did not stay in Shizuka Ryokan - a Japanese "Ryokan" style retreat that contains 7 smaller size "ryokan". Very peaceful - and very japanese. What more can I say ?

Dinner on my first night in Daylesford was in Lake House. Lake House has received many good reviews and raves from many food critics. I'm constantly returning for another dose of their Lavender ice-cream (which unfortunately - they only serve it during winter). The menu on that day was divine. If that day was my last supper - that would be it.

For their summer menu - it consist of 9 small tastes with matching wine. To whet our appetite, the chef teased us with a dish called "Amuse Bouche". It is very savory - and the matching French bubbly was an excellent match.

It was a great light start to something gastronomic. Next up, we have a dish called "Citrus and Vodka cured salmon and kingfish with bloody mary jelly". Exquisite taste and something out of the norm. Without saying, the wine matched to it was an excellent choice.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I shall let the images blow you away. Go ahead and drool at them.

Warning : Not suitable for those on a detox or diet program. You will be left hungry.

Crisp crumbed poached organic egg, warm salad of sweet peppers, artichokes olives and capers

Smoked salmon eel and shallot confit in pancetta, warm salad of roast baby beets, horseradish cream

Confit of ocean trout, squid ink risotto, citrus vinaigrette

Seared scallops, roasted master stock braised free range pork, Asian slaw

Assiette of duck – dumpling in consommé, parfait with port jelly, roast duck breast and sausage, lentils

Champagne semifreddo, berry sorbet and fresh berries

Coffee and sweet indulgence (cigarettes not included )

What better way to end a meal if not a cuppa with some sweet indulgences and few puffs of menthol lights.

For the mere price of AUD$190 (RM 570) per person, I definitely think it makes every penny worth. I had never tasted food so divine – with such perfectly matched wines. Two thumbs up for Lake House and I definitely give it a 5 star.

Coming back to Malaysia, I'm now in the hunt for fine dining restaurants that have food and wine degustation. With a stroke of luck, I've found one. Lack of another stroke of luck, their food and wine degustation were completely booked out for the season ! Dang ! I'm determined to get myself a seat for their upcoming one. To my delight, they even have complimentary wine tasting twice a week. That is rare in Malaysia. Being accustomed to the lifestyle in Australia where wineries are at vast,wine tasting are so common that it is part of their daily business. Their cellar doors are open 9am-6pm, 7 days a week.

Well, I'm at least glad we have found a supplier that has wine tasting, wine and food matching. At least, I have a free drinking ground now for the drinking devil in me.

Sky Diving at 6000 Feet

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 02:09:00 +0000

First and foremost, a BIG thank you to Mr.Zainal who was very generous to let us try out the sky diving simulator for free! The experience was awesome and should I say mind-blowing. I am not the adventurous type so I thought perhaps the experience should be tried out by Nik & Nunu. However, Mr. Zainal was very persistent in convincing us 3 to try it. Before I knew it, I was already adorned in the sky diving gear. We were petrified. Scared and wondering if we REALLY should do it.

Before the dive:-

Don't we all look like pro in the gear?

Once done, we were led into the briefing room where a short briefing was conducted by the instructor. We were shown the right way to sky dive, the hand signs and what to do in case of emergency. It was short but it felt like eternity. By now , our hands were cold and sweaty. Sweaty not because we were hot, but scared and nervous.

The briefing ended in 5 minutes and we were once again ushered into the simulator room. My legs felt heavy, wobbly and it is refusing to walk. The walk there seems endless, coupled with fear. I kept telling myself, "This is not going to be so bad. It's only going to take 2 minutes.I'm sure I can trust the instructor". No. The self consolation didn't help one bit. By now, I could see Nik and Nunu paralysed with fear. Nunu was the first to go. Instructor picked her to go first and me and Nik were slightly relieved.

Watching Nunu spinning and turning wasn't exactly comforting. Still, it was very brave of her to be the first to do it. Within minutes, Nunu came out, smiling. Though still a little bit petrified, she was smiling with excitement. "It wasn't that bad after all!" she yelled against the loud roaring sound of the simulator. Before we could get her to tell us more, the instructor picked Nik and seemingly pushing Nik into the simulator. It was funny.

Nik did hers and within minutes, she was done. It was now my turn. I wanted to back out. Since Nik and Nunu already did it, surely there's no need for me to experience it. They can share their experiences. I tried telling the instructor that I'm scared and doubt I can do it, but its too late. Nik and Nunu who had their turn was now pushing me to get in there. With only few seconds left before I jumped into the simulator, I kept repeating the hand signs to the instructor. I told him to get me out immediately once I signaled him the thumb down sign. He nodded and smiled. I knew he wasn't listening. He knew that the experience is not dangerous and he would be able to get me out of there in case of real emergency.

I took a deep breath and took the plunge. Strong gush of air were blowing underneath me and I could feel myself flying! Yes..I was flying and it felt right. I did well, I would say, considering I was able to stay afloat for couple good seconds before I frantically try to do the thumb down sign. The instructor pulled me out and I scrambled for the floor. My knees were now wobbly and weak from the less than a minute dive. I felt heavy again. Nik and Nunu was laughing at my antics. The laughter did not last long. The instructor pulled Nik in for the second round. Holy Shit! Just when we thought its over. The second time round, Nik went in willingly. She was beginning to enjoy it. So, without much coercing, she plunged it. I admired her guts.

Just when we thought we can do it again for the second time, the instructor begin spinning Nik around in the simulator. Oh my god! It's horrifying. Nik was spinning up and up ! We could not see her from where we were. Once again, fear overcame me and my knees were now wobbly again. I could not believe what I was seeing. I'm so not doing it! Within seconds, Nik was pulled down, this time we could see her doing the thumb sign over and over again. She came out of the simulator, yelling and laughing hysterically. She was scared shitless! Nevertheless, she likes it - so she claimed.

It was Nunu's turn. She told the instructor .."No Spinning!". But we knew it was pointless. Nunu dived in and like Nik, she was soon spinning upward. I was thinking to myself "I'm so dead."

Nunu came out after a minute or so, gasping for her breath, which was probably now spent from yelling. She came out out the simulator, on her knees, begging to be let out.

It was now my turn. I told myself, Die - die - la. My plea to not spin to the instructor was once again turned into deaf ears. He was smiling and telling me not to worry. Heck it. I plunged and relaxed. I think I'm starting to like this light- headed feeling. I was not thinking of anything, no worries, just float. It was a really good feeling. The feeling did not last for long. I saw the instructor coming at me, and he gave me a light nudge and I started spinning upwards like the rest. I could not remember how long I was spinning, but it felt like eternity. I quickly do the thumbs down sign and was slowly pulled down.

I wanted to get out - yet part of me still wanted to continue flying. I like the feeling of not having to think of anything. I knew if I don't get out of there, the instructor would probably spin me again. I was let out and all of us were laughing non stop. We cheered ourself for being so brave and adventurous. Mr.Zainal was grinning from ear to ear when we saw him again. He witnessed the whole spectacle and was probably thinking how funny and hilarious we were. Greeted by Mr.Zainal, we posed for a picture with the instructor and quickly went up to change.

It was certainly a very good experience. As part of the experience, we were given certificates for our participation and a CD. We thanked Mr. Zainal and our instructor for the experience. It was certainly worth doing it.For some, it may be an experience of a lifetime. For me, I might do it again. Who knows?

Link to our Sky Diving video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8yRnRRgW4I

Sometimes we get lazy too...

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Greetings for the land down-under. Alas! I'm back in Melbourne!! Been thinking about it so much and now that I'm finally here, I actually miss Malaysia. Funny.

The last one month has been rather hectic for us. My apologies for the delay in penning down our thoughts on our latest experience (Sky Diving Simulator) with Genting Highland. I know I promised it will be there for your reading pleasure soon, but we do have our lazy moments too... And yes, the last one month( the last time we blogged was sometime in Jan 24th) had been rather hectic for us. Fueled further by many lazy moments,certain things such as blogging just had to be deferred.

In my last blogging, I promised to blog about our Sky Diving Experience - ( DAMN! I really got to stop procrastinating!). My apologies for the delay and I promise(yet again) I will blog about it soon. Truth is, we have been swarmed with so many experiences invitation from our suppliers that we just have no time to blog about them yet! Next up, we will have a session of Yoga, White Water Rafting(exciting), jewelery beading, slingshots and more !!

Yes..I'll also definitely blog about my whole month stay in Melbourne...the food, the drinks, the partying life & many of my drunken moments.

About RedRibbon Days

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:02:00 +0000

RedRibbon Days is an online gift retailer of experiences in Malaysia. We deliver packaged experiences to individuals, couples, family, groups and we offer corporate solutions. We aim to bring a piece of magic into everyone’s life, to change and revolutionise the concept of traditional gifting. With more than 500 RedRibbon Days experiences in our range, we are passionate about delivering pleasure and the effect we have on people’s lives.

Mission Statement
· We are passionate about delivering unforgettable experiences for you and the ones you love.
· We focus on delivering quality experiences to you without accommodating on our professionalism.
· We only work with first class partners.
· We are constantly innovating, creating and looking for new experiences to add to our current list of exciting experiences.

Why “Experiences” as Gifts?

How many days of our lives are truly memorable and spent amazingly? Many of us have received gifts that we have totally no use for, and in turn, many of us will either recycle the gifts or be a re-gifter. When a gift becomes re-gifted, it has lost all its meaning and purpose. Gifting is not about the gift – it’s about the intention behind the gifts that really matters. RedRibbon Days wants all recipients of our gifts to feel special, loved and the giver, the capacity to give the recipient a wonderful time. We want to create amazing days to fulfil people’s dreams, delight others, to motivate, jubilate and to thank.

Many of us never say “thank you” enough in our lifetime. Some of us only thank our parents once or twice in a year – birthdays and Father/Mother’s Day. Why not thank these special people in our life spontaneously without having to wait for an occasion? We do not need an occasion to thank someone. We can thank a friend for always being there for us when we need them, thank a lover for always being such a good lover, thank our parents for bearing us and supporting us all the way no matter who we are ! “Experiences” gifts are intangible yet memorable. We carry memories with us throughout the rest of our lives. Memories last forever, and a person is defined by the sum of their experiences and not their belongings.

The Founder

The team at RedRibbon Days are fanatical about giving people pleasure. RedRibbon Days was set up in 2007, and we aim to pioneer the concept of giving unforgettable experiences as gifts. Our experiences range from those that make everyday life a little bit more pleasurable to experiences that are genuinely experienced once in a lifetime. Founder and CEO (Chief Experiences Officer) of RedRibbon Days, Sherin Wong is ardent about giving people a good time, and pleasure. A graduate from The University of Melbourne and backed with 5 years of good quality Australia working experience, she’s more than ready to change the concept of gifting in Malaysia. Frustrated by the lack of bona fide and adequate online retailer in Malaysia while she’s abroad, she has then decided to do something about it, hence the birth of RedRibbon Days. RedRibbon Days is greatly inspired by similar working concepts in UK and Australia. “RedRibbon Days will make a difference. She exists to solve problems and the inadequacy of gifting in Malaysia.”

The Team at RedRibbon Days

No business will survive without its people. RedRibbon Days is very fortunate to have Nik on board as one of the directors. Nik – the Executive Experiences Director of RedRibbon Days believes that the time is now right for RedRibbon Days to enter the market. With the lack of innovative gift ideas in Malaysia, RedRibbon Days will prove itself as a pioneer in the online retail market. Given her extensive working experience in large corporations in Malaysia since her graduation from The University of Melbourne, she knows the locals well.

The latest addition to the RedRibbon Days team is Ming Nu, a graduate from Monash University, Australia, contributed her skills to a large and well-known international advertising firm in Malaysia since. A young, trendy and hip lass seeking more challenge and exposure to the working world, she break out from her comfort zone and joined RedRibbon Days, ready to contribute her skills and grow with RedRibbon Days.

And yes, who can forget the lovely little Modjo? He’s the source of inspiration and joy to the team. Constantly seeking attention, dragging rubbish out of the rubbish bin, he’s definitely a must have to the team.

With such a unique blend of knowledge and skills, RedRibbon Days are well set for the challenges ahead, and they are ready to paint the town red.

The birth of RedRibbon Days

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:31:00 +0000

Note: I've never blog before in my life of 29 years and since this is the first blog, please ignore all mistakes and slangs. I promise to do better next time.

RedRibbon Days - alas ! my so called "pet-project" has become a reality. RRD( a term we used in the office) also known as RedRibbon Days was officially registered sometime in October 2007. Nik, my partying and partner-in-crime had the courage to quit her job and give RRD the opportunity to be born. Here's to Nik - "Thank you for trusting me."
Back then, I have the ideas but I do not have a partner. Who else but Nik, I wonder? I casually chat to her about the concept - and much to my delight, she was as receptive towards the idea as I was. Trust me, I've seen many giving me the "WTF-are-you-talking-about"expression when I raised the concept of RRD.

Cut to the chase, a week after Raya holidays, we started work. We worked from home, with the companionship of Modjo - my cute, mischievous 4 month old then miniature schnauzer. Such a delight to have him around. Yes, things does get a little bit monotonous when you are working on the same rectangle table, facing each other, 9 - 6, day in day out. We need some other form of entertainment.

We started penning our thoughts and ideas down sometime in October 2007 and seriously dedicated ourselves to work in November 2007. Looking back, it has been a rather eventful 7 months. We started with nothing and now everything is slowly coming into place. RRD is slowly developing. It has been a long way for RRD and I know the upcoming few months are going to be more exacting. I'm already flat-chat now !!

One day, while driving to meet a supplier, I casually asked Nik. "Hey, do you realise we are actually doing a business together"? "Do you know how many times we have been talking about setting up our own business?". We have been talking about it since uni days over our favourite skinny lattes in Superman's coffee shop, and happy hour over Rump Steak in Krome. Apallingly, everything seems so surreal. Hmm.. and I wonder how many skinny lattes, cosmopolitan and rump steak did we devour over those empty talks? And this time round, no skinny lattes, cosmopolitan or rump steak were required. We just did it.

Don't ask me how it feels to be running your own business. Simply, RRD is still in its infant stage. With babies, you need to pay extra care to them when they are still newborn. You get panicky when they have fever or can't stop crying. Likewise, RRD is an infant on its own that needs our constant attention.

Well, like it or not, RedRibbon Days is about to make a statement and we will be ready to present RedRibbon Days to the world by end of February 2008.

a spicy experience with Rohani Jelani

noreply@blogger.com (RedRibbon Days) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:50:00 +0000

Among one of the many experiences that we sell is a cooking experience with Rohani Jelani. For those who have never heard of her prior to this, take note. She's our very own Malaysia's "Jamie Oliver". We met Rohani for the very first time 2 weeks ago. We were fortunate enough to be given a complimentary cooking class with Rohani to try out the experience first hand.

The journey to Rohani's place took us about 20 minutes. It was actually not that far from where we were, but we kinda got lost along the way. We were lost for about 10 minutes, I suppose ? Anyways, the journey there was a little intimidating. Being a city girl in heart, I would never step near any kampung area. We arrived safely at Rohani's and I would say the journey to her place wasn't really that exciting. Rohani's house was safely tucked at the end of the road, on top of a mountain. Suprisingly, there is nothing "kampung" about Rohani or her house at all. In fact, the ambience exudes certain warmth and it is overall - quite welcoming.

We were warmly greeted by this lovely scent of pandan. Ah ! Such comforting smell. Rohani was a very charming lady. Friendly, charismatic and above all, a real professional when it comes to cooking. She introduced us to the other students and we chatted briefly. The class was small enough to make you feel comfortable and it was an ease fitting in the environment. We were served tea and banana muffin whilst waiting for the arrival of other students. I was sold! The muffin was awesome! It has such rich texture, soft and the sweet scent and taste of banana becomes better and better after each bite.

The class commenced shortly after a brief introduction to the recipe of the day and we were assigned the dishes to cook. Myself and Nik worked as a pair. We will be cooking Asam Pedas, Curry Fish Head(Indian Style) and Chicken Rendang.We took about 2 1/2 hours to complete the 3 dishes and just 30 minutes to devour all the food. It was a good experience, I must say - though I'm so used to cooking that I can slice onions without looking at the chopping board! (over-exaggerating). Rohani made it easier by preparing all the ingredients, peeling off the skins of shallots and onions, cleaned and chopped the fishes and poultry. So, there was no mess, really. Her kitchen was airy, spacious- leaving you enough space to move around.

The cooking part was fun. Being the "kiasu - scared to lose" one, we decided to cook two dishes at one go. So, yes, we were frantically frying sambal from wok to wok. As a result, one of our dishes (the Assam Pedas) did not turn out as good as it was supposed to be. According to Rohani, I didn't stir or "tumis" it long enough to bring out the full aroma of the sambal. Well, can't blame me, really. I'm spoilt by the variety of instant sambal available nowadays!

Curry Rendang & Assam Pedas

Ah yes....did I mention there were altogether 6 of us? Anyways, imagine the scent of 9 different dishes(all curry based) cooked in the same kitchen at the same time. The smell was overpowering. It certainly aroused my stomach. Our third dish was whipped up in 20 minutes. Curry Fish Head( Indian Style). It was rather easy to cook - except by now, I'm getting a little bit tired and thirsty. Perhaps, Rohani should serve us another cup of the refreshing ginger honey drink?

Lunch was served around 1ish and we were all famished by that time. Dining table was set up adequately, and the dining and kitchen area were heavily consumed by the aromatic smell of curries. Dishes were slowly being poured out and tastefully garnished.

Overall, I think we did a fantastic job. The food was yummy(though it wasn't "tumis" long enough-something Rohani stressed often enough), the color was vibrant, and the smell - orgasmic. Here's a toast to what we cooked!

Curry Fish Head Assam Pedas
Chicken Rendang
Me & Nik posing with the dishes we cooked.

Overall, the experience was awesome. We met some new friends that day and 6 new dishes. Best part is we get to eat what we cooked. Yumm! Till the next experience... stay tune!

P/S: Please don't ask me to cook for you. :p

Our next experience ..... Sky Diving Simulator...