This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 18, 2019

4 weekend-long activities

Sunny Side Up Market is a cheery market that is presenting a variety of vendors for the Chinese New Year season. Get your festive shopping done with homegrown artisans like Ficus & Jar, Naren Home, The Real Shorts Co, Janet Poetry, Hias and more. It will be held tomorrow and Sunday from 11am to 6pm at Slate at The Row, 50 Jalan Doraisamy, Kuala Lumpur. For further information, visit therowkl.com.

There will be a series of events this weekend at the Boulevard, Publika Mall. Tomorrow there will be Opera Mask Painting, a fan dance, Chinese calligraphy workshop and Erhu & Ghuzeng Performance, and on Sunday there will be a Diabolo performance, 3D art demo, DIY clay workshop and face-changing mask opera. The mall is open from 10am-10pm and located at 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. For further details, contact (03) 6211 7877.

Join the fun during a creative weekend held by Barang Baik II which is showcasing an exquisite line-up of handcrafted merchandise by students of The One Academy and others tomorrow and Sunday. From 11am-7pm, the bazaar will be held at The School, Jaya One, 72A Jalan Universiti, Section 13, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Visit theschool.my for further details.

During this festive season, APW and the Kong Zi Institute of University Malaya are collaborating to bring us the Gong Xi Market. There will be a large variety of Chinese food (including halal options), performances and shopping. APW will also be starting its annual SLAM exhibition, a platform for local artists that combine traditional Chinese calligraphy pieces with modern elements. Head over to Art Printing Works, 29 Jalan Riong, Kuala Lumpur to join in on the fun. It will be held tomorrow from 10am-8pm. Visit apw.my for more information.

2 cute date-night ideas

VR Lab, Malaysia’s first virtual reality specialist, offers both adults and children an opportunity to indulge in the latest VR technology as they offer a vast selection of games. Treat yourself and a loved one to a night of fun. It is open from 11am-2am every day.  It is located at A4-G1-07, 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. For more information, visit vrlab.my.

Head over to Crackhouse Comedy Club and watch a performance by Liz Miele who started doing stand-up comedy at age 16. In less than five years, she appeared on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. This new Yorker who describes herself as “disturbingly organised” has appeared on networks ranging from Hulu to NPR and AXS TV. There is a show today and tomorrow at 9pm. Tickets online are priced at RM40 and RM50 at the door. It will be held at 24A Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, TTDI, Kuala Lumpur. For further information, visit crackhousecomedy.asia.

2 ways to orchestrate a fun weekend

Mahler’s Fifth Symphony is a portrait of love. It starts with a call of a single trumpet then unfolds into an unforgettable journey from dark turmoil to joyous optimism. Head over to the city and enjoy the work that inspired numbers of choreographers and filmmakers. It will be held at 8.30pm tomorrow and 3pm on Sunday at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, Tower Two, Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur. Tickets are priced between RM56 and RM141. For more details, visit mpo.com.my.

Orquesta Yambeque is led by Colombian-born percussionist and band leader of Mateo Lorenzo which is one of the region’s premier latin jazz bands compromising musicians from Colombia, Venezuela, Europe, Canada, Malaysia and Australia. They feel very privelged to share traditional music from the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. At 10pm today and tomorrow for RM80, enjoy the music at No Black Tie, 17 Jalan Mesui, off Jalan Nagasari, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. For further information, visit noblacktie.com.my.

2 art exhibitions to view

You Belong to Night & Rojak Aesthetics are the titles of solo exhibitions by Malaysian artists Chuah Shu Ruei and Wong Xiang Yi. The works featured consist of four installations which are said to be a compilation of a two years’ worth of exploring “the ideas of multiculturalism, interconnection, collective authorship/ownership, ever-changing composition and the relations between centre/periphery and art/craft”. The exhibition will be held at Rimbun Dahan, KM 27, Jalan Kuang, Kuang, Selangor. For more information, visit rimbundahan.org.

Head over to Segaris Art Centre this weekend between 10am and 7pm to view works by 19 different artists. The title of the exhibition is XIX – Nineteen and was officially open to the public yesterday. Enjoy a large selection of art at 8 Level G4, Publika Shopping Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. For further information, call (03) 6243 1108.