El Patina

I suspected that the Urbanscapes folks ran out of ideas and organised a jumble sale at the House on a peak weekend. They called it El Patina and it featured an eclectic mix of post-modern hippie items as well as some local homemade creations.

Some of the items were quite interesting however, but it was a shame as I was not in the mood for any shopping. Browsing the stalls reminded me on my Sunday morning trips during my student days at car boot sale lots. Plenty of bargains and mostly second hand - or pre-loved as they called it now.

For the bargain hunters, there was always pasar karat at China Town ... only about five minutes away.

I wasn't sure if the event was a one-off or something that they were developing as a weekend fare. The items and the whole setup looked too organise for this to be an impromptu idea. I might visit hem again should I be in the mood for shopping in the future ....

Urbanscapes 2017

It was that time of the year again when Urbanscapes came to town. Not much of a frenzy this year. It may have been the economic slow down. It may also be because it was too near Ramadan. The event this year felt subdued compared to yesteryears.

But that did not mean that there was nothing happening.

Large format printingSome interesting lightworkThe notice was upIt was more of an art affair than performances. There was no concert in the middle of the town square like last year. It was a party atmosphere then. The event this time around were mainly indoors - at the aptly names Urbanscapes House., right by Medan Pasar.

I had only the chance to attend a couple of the sessions. First was having a look at some street photography exhibition, featuring works of local talent. Nice ...

Going upstairsMeeting the authorSome nice stripsThe second weekend I was there to attend a talk on the railway system in Johor. More about that one later.

I bought some comics, had a chat with a few of the vendors, listen in on a few dialoques and took some photographs. Space was at a premium, so not much food or drinks there. Not much open space to enjoy from years ago. It was party in the park atmosphere then.

"Sila selongkar"Some superhero stuffsMore happening downstairs I gather that some of the events were held at other venues scattered around town. There were a couple of guided photowalks which unfortunately I could not attend due to work. But overall, the organisers did cater for those keener to explore the town as urban dwellers and hopefully learn a bit more about the city they live in. Definitely would support it in the coming years and of course, the event had to adapt with changing times.

Friday Prayers at Orchard

During my recent Singapore overnight stop, I had the chance to visit one of the mosque there for Friday prayers. It was only a 10 minute walk from the hotel we were staying and the timing was just right as we were going towards a lunch recess.

The mosque, called Masjid Al-Falah stood right behind a Holiday Inn hotel in the middle of Orchard Road, the main shopping district in Singapore. It was at a simple building, only marked with some simple letterings. It was already crowded when we arrived, and we got a spot on the upper floors where the Muslimah usually attend.

The toilets and the absolution area was clearly marked and conveniently placed. And this being Singapore, they were spotless.

Impressive. The whole setup was great. The sermon was in Malay and the subject matters were straight to the point and easy to digest. None of the political connotations we were preached to in the mosques in KL. Towards the end of his sermon, the khatib then switched seamlessly into fluent English in summarising his talk.

We could do with some of that back home as the mosque I went to in Gombak had a large Yemeni and Somalian community attending.

Overnight in Singapore

It was a meeting I was invited to in Singapore, and it involved an overnight stay. Initially I was not very keen but I thought I might as well go.

I left after my rounds on a Thursday, flew over reaching Singapore in time for dinner.

Then I had a free morning for myself - enough time to prepare for my talks on a later date. The meeting proper only started on the Friday afternoon after which I had to catch a flight home straight after.

A full day, not really much time to do anything else but to read, sleep and read some more ...

Good thing that the hotel was cosy and there plenty of malls next door. Not that I could afford to shop with the state of Malaysia Ringgit! I was then greeted with a busy Saturday morning clinic as well as a couple of talks to give upon return, not to mention being on call on the Sunday! Happy times!

Found the Dealer

So, the Patchi outlet at Pavilion had moved. Originally on the sixth floor, right by the entrance to Tokyo Street, it had moved to the first second floor on the walkway between Pavilon proper and the new annex.

The new shop appeared bigger but for some reason I felt that it was less visible.

As long as they were still open, I wouldn’t be complaining ...