Goodbye Ampang Park

It looks like the time was almost up. The tenants and shop owners of Ampang Park had exhausted all legal challenge to stop the closure of the first and oldest shopping mall in KL. They were all given their final notices and had been making plans to move their businesses elsewhere.

Even the famed "Cozy Corner" was moving after Raya.

I was there with Anita looking for clothes for Raya. The selection were as good as ever and she got what she wanted. The irony was we took the LRT from KLCC to get there and the future plans for the lot was to built a new MRT station.

I was sure there were enough reasons to demolish such an icon and hopefully in the future, this plot of land would be put in good use ... But for now, thanks for the memories ...

Done with Season One

I had the chance to watch Westworld when it was beamed on Astro earlier this year. But I got bored after a couple of episodes. Then, I read a review on YouTube about how good the series was and decided to watch the pilot again.

But this time I downloaded the episode on iTunes using my US account. I got the uncensored episodes and it was a lot different from the one I remembered watching on the local TV.

There were nudity and swearing aplenty - some of which were just plain unnecessary. But some of the dialogue and scene which were cut out were needed to move the plot along. So, watching it the second time around really gave a clear perspective of what was going on.

After watching all 10 episodes, I begin to appreciate just what the buzz was all about. Definitely a fascinating series with superb acting. Both Anthony Hopkins and Thandie Newton definitely gave masterclasses. Haunting soundtrack to boot - who could forget "No Surprises" playing on the background at the saloon. Great stuff.

And the plot twists .... they all made sense in the end. Great television and I couldn't wait for the second season.

For an Early Night

Or at least that was the plan. United would be playing Real Madrid at 3 am tonight as a season opener. I have a long day tomorrow but watching the game was just too tempting. One of the ways to make it world would be to start with an early night, and set the alarm to catch the second half of the game.

Let’s see if things go according to plan then ....

The Third Floor Cafe

Big books. And good coffee. On a Sunday afternoon. Sounds like a perfect way to end the week.

That was what I had earlier today when I ventured to Isetan at Lot 10 as I got a spare couple of hours. The initial plan was to see a 3D printing demonstration but I realised that the timing was not right. I had to be back home before the program started. So, the hour sipping coffee and browsing books at the third floor at the Isetan store sounded fine to me.

Just in case you were so enamoured and wanted to go to Japan straight away, there was also a travel agent on the same floorIt was rather difficult to term the place. Was it a cafe with books, or a cafe at a bookstore. Seemed like most people were doing a bit of both. The coffee was OK, not the best in town, but the books there were something else especially when you venture towards the travel books section. Great material, in heavy minded volumes. The books on urban landscapes and street photography definitely tickled my fancy as lately I found those to be the kind of photography I like - or more like the only photography my schedule allowed me to do plenty of.

I decided against buying the books as I had to trek back to another store where I parked my car and I had a couple of stops in between. Maybe I would come back to buy some books. It would complement the volume I had in my living room nicely.

The cafe counter

Apart from the cafe and books, the third floor were also dedicated to workshops for origami as well as all things Japanese. Take that day for instance, there was a Japanese artist who came to do a demo on 3D glass printing. There were more activities laid out for the rest of the year - which you had to enrol and pay for of course. I might just bring Idlan there one of these days if the event was right ... he loved origami.

Lot 10 hosted - and still hosts - the first Isetan Store in Malaysia. There were a few others now but the one in Lot 10 had been renovated into what was termed a “Japanese Concept Store”. It had ample space with plenty of room to browse around. There were no items cluttering the walkways and it did not have the typical “pushy” salesperson common in KL. You can just walk around without being bothered. Definitely a place worth visiting ....

Isetan Lot 10

This place is neat. A piece of Japan in the middle of KL. Bukit Bintang to be specific.

I managed to get home earlier than usual last Tuesday and I decided to ask Anita for an afternoon out. This time it was slightly different. I took her on the new MRT, after sampling it myself for the first time earlier last weekend.

We parked at NU Sentral as I usually do, took the MRT and came out of the station right in front of Lot 10. I told Anita that there had been some major renovations going on there and the new Isetan at Lot 10 had been completely transformed.

Some nice lighting on the top floorThose were killer macarons Time to explore Anita was skeptical at first. But it didn't take long for the place to win her over. The Lower Ground floor where all the food were left the biggest impression on her. I was more into the the "workspace cubicles" on the third floor. They had a nice little care with some really cracking books around there.

Let's start with the food as I felt that the cubicles deserved a separate entry. Most of the items were rules in especially. The cakes were luxurious and really tummy, although very costly. Anita bought to slices and even before we left the store, those had gone through her mouth. They were that good.

There were a number of sushi bars there as well. We didn't try them as we were not sure if they were halal. Plus it was still too early for dinner. We had a good look around. The Waugh beef specially imported in .... those scrumptious cookies and short cakes! Too many temptations.

Really wished that I could spend more time there. Maybe sample a cuisine or two. But not today ... Many more floors to explore ...