Malaysia Coffee Fest 2018 Part I

Since downloading Facebook Local, looking for events to attend in town during weekends were that much easier. I didn't have to plan much despite this being post-call day. Left my car a Pavilion and I took the MRT to 1Utama. And I wasn't disappointed.

Looking down at the whole event from the upper floorCristo, the Italian blend offer a subscription-based service where the machine comes freeI had a few people recommending me VCR. I didn't get to sample it this time ..This would be the first time I attended the Malaysia Coffee Fest. Not really a big event but a packed one, held at the main lobby of 1Utama new wing over four days.

This being the last day, the place was packed and the barista competition were teaching the finale as well.

The Cristo machines looked to be a hitSamples which led me to drink too much ...Waiting for it to brewI spent about an hour there just looking around the rows of stalls, all selling coffee makers, coffee beans, introducing various method of brewing, some common, some not very ... There were also stalls selling tasty pasties. Plenty of things to sample.

By the time I took my fourth shot, I was really jacked up, blary eyed despite this being post-call. Some strong brew they got there.

Continued in part II here.

Deservedly So

France was the favourite to win the World Cup from the off. They had a very talented team despite a lack of out and out striker. But Olivier Giroud turned himself into the ultimate target man and was instrumental in the way France play. This was made easy with the strong midfielders they had, plus Griezmann and Mbappe who could walk into any team in the world.

They had the perfect mix.

And Croatia wasn't that bad either. The team had leaders and guts. They fought in every corner of the pitch and truth be told, they played better than France in the Final. But it wasn't to be.

The Final was also a memorable game which had everything. Dodgy play acting earning a freekick leading up to a goal. VAR decision which could go either way. Own goals. Lloris applying to play for Liverpool with a calamatous goal.

On the flip side, Croatian equalizer from Parisic was too notch, Mbappe was an express train in scoring the final goal after Pogba demonstrating that he could shoot with both feet.

Six goals in total. And the heaven opened during the trophy presentation which was really a hug fest in the end. Mbappe was crown Young Player of the tournament with the great Luka Modric taking the consolation of the Golden Ball for tournanent's Best Player.

It was a great World Cup, topped off by a great Final. The quality of football may not be as great as the 2006 in Germany. The fact that many of the top teams stumbled during the group stage or soon after did not help. England getting to the semis put a smile to my face.

It was scary to think that France had the second youngest side - youngest being Nigeria and England third. This team will only to continue to get better. And Raphael Varane was a Rolls Royce at the centre of French defence. That boy can play ...

Sunday Ride

Anita asked me to take Grab. I was never very keen. I prefer MRT. And as I was planning to attend the Malaysia Coffee Fest at 1Utama, I decided to do just that. Rather than order Grab, I parked my car in town and take the MRT.

The entrance at Bukit Bintang StationNice and clean once you enter the stationThis is Malaysia's longest escalatorAnd the platforms were on top of each other ...I left my car at Pavilion this time as I planned to go to Low Yat later. So, after lunch, I strolled along Bukit Bintang and started my train ride there.

Arriving at Bandar UtamaAll mapped outVery convenient. Before long, I was already up in open air as the train emerged off the ground near Semantan. The weather was gorgeous and there were hardly anybody on the train on this Sunday afternoon.

An enjoyable ride indeed. Arriving at Bandar Utama stop, I then walked through the One World Hotel to reach my my venue. And the party was already at full swing as the aroma of freshly blended coffee bean hit me as I reached the 1Utama main lobby.

Time to head back into town ...Smooth ride both over and underground ...And the weather had been gorgeous all day ...Let's sample some beans ...

Father's Day Dinner

My father-in-law has not been in the greatest of health since the turn of the year. It was quite seldom that he would leave the house - which usually meant a trip to the hospital for check-ups. For a change, we took him out for dinner.

It was Father's Day after all. And he loved some western food. We brought him over to Victoria Station in Jalan Ampang and he ate a lot.

He was very happy that for his coming birthday we would be bringing him over to the same place as well ...

New MyKAD

My MyKAD was definitely showing it’s age. I got it back in 2004 if I was not mistaken. I never had the chance to update it. Anita had renewed hers.

When I wanted to renew my driving license at the Post Office, they had problem reading the chip. As a result, I had to make my way to the local JPJ Office to proceed which was across town.

Waiting area was comfortable A library was right opposite if you fancy a read ...Since the JPJ Office was right next to Pendaftaran, I thought I might as well get both sorted out. The place I went to was at Keramat Mall. And the place was really organised.

Yes, there was a wait but the flow was very clear and you knew exactly what you were waiting for. I got both the licence and the MyKAD sorted out in 3 hours with a quick break for lunch in between as they told me exactly what time to return to pick up my documents ...

The JPJ Office was located opposite the JPN, next to the libraryThe place was tall and airy, making it cool even without much air conditioningKudos to both Departments and it was certainly a breath of fresh air dealing with them ...