CzipLee has Reopened

CzipLee is the go to shop for everything stationery in my neck of the woods. They had a great selection of stuff and you could get almost anything there. They had just relocated last year to their current location and the news that the shop caught fire during the Chinese New Year break earlier this year came as a surprise to everyone.

The place had been under renovation for a few months and in July the newly refurbished outlet was opened. We only knew about it last week when we came to visit. Certainly was an upgrade to the shop before and it was now occupying three floors with a dedicated print shop.

Anita was looking for some pencils for the boys when we decided to have a look around and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the new place looked. The middle floor were now more or less a paper shop with plenty of selection to browse through.

Definitely worth a look the next time you were in Telawi area ….

Taste and Testing

We had been frequenting China Treasures at Some Darby Convention Centre quite a lot in the last few years. They made some of the best Halal dim sum in town, and being affiliated to Some Darby, I was entitled to some discount every time I dine there.

I even know the manager and the staffs pretty well by now and during our lunch last Monday, the Manager, Eric asked if we could come for a food tasting dinner for the upcoming Chinese New Year buffet. The dinner was held next door to the restaurant in the main ballroom at the convention centre and I must say there were a lot more people than I expected.

In the end, it was a seven course affair and the dessert was only served close to 9 pm. We got more than we bargained for.

They opened more than 40 tables, enough to fill the whole of the hall. I was seated with a colleague from SJMC and a banker with his wife. We actually enjoyed the company despite the fact that I had to disappear for an hour during the dinner to attend to a patient at the hospital.

It started off with yee sang and soup - which Anita had to leave for me as I was still at the hospital - then the main courses - which were garoupa and prawns - followed by rice in the end. I enjoyed the company more than the food however, but it was different with Anita as she was starving at the start of dinner.

The yee sang was made in house, and you could taste how fresh and well-preserved the ingredients were. It came with thinly sliced raw salmon. The highlight I must say was the back chicken double-boiled soup. It was delicious. The garoupa was fine but I was full by then.

The dessert was yam in a sack of pastry, deep fried to look like a money pouch. Very sweet and really cleansed the palate at the end of the meal. They had an early bird promotion for a table of 10, and based on the price, it was well worth it. No din sum though …..

KLPF 2016

Usually, the Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival was held near my lace, at Mid Valley. It was the first time it moved and with the new place, I was sure the whole festival felt different. On personal note, obviously I preferred the old venue. A bit busier, and getting a parking spot could be tricky, but at least access was pretty OK. This venue - StarXpo - was located on the 15th floor and it has the worse lift service in town, even worse than SJMC on a Saturday morning!

More about that later.

The event was held over three days, and I went on a Saturday late morning, the second day right after I was done with my post-take round. Hence, I was a bit groggy when I got there, and parked on the 11th floor, I ended up using the stairs to reach the venue after tired of waiting.

The hall was massive - a grand setting with another couple of floors of balcony. The main hall was occupied by vendors seeking all things photography as well as tourism bureau and travel company who offered trip services for photography outings. Compared to the last few years, there were definitely a decline both in terms of quantity and quality of the vendors on display. But the same can’t be said about the exhibitions. There were plenty of great photos on display and the talks were engaging.

Sitting in at one of the talkSome of them had projection issuesThey were not blessed with that many vendors this time ....

I managed to sit in on a couple of talks, but unfortunately the third one was in Mandarin - the one I was looking forward too since it was about Mongolia. For proper food you would have to take the lifts to the lower floor - which was a drag. Toilet facilities were aplenty. The exhibit which caught my eyes was a series about Bangladeshi workers working in Malaysia. Fascinating to learn that they actually had a decent life back hope but with no prospect of extra income. Hence they travelled here and to the Middle East.

The only vendor I found worth visiting was the DJI. They showcased the OSMO Mobile, which I found interesting and cheaper than I thought. Oppo, the mobile phone vendor also had a good presence, showing their phones and also having exhibits on photos taken using their products. The there main brands - Canon, Sony and Fuji - did not have much presence as only their third-party vendors were there. Olympus surprisingly did not even turn up!

Looking towards town from the 15th floorFood? This was about it ....More exhibits on the main floorA quick panorama of the city using the iPhoneThe organiser would have to start to up their game to attract more vendors for next year’s chapter, otherwise the whole festival would start to lose its gloss. Maybe they should start thinking about going back to the old venue ….

Let's see how this one compares to 2011, 2012 and 2014.

A Sunday Outing

I had to take out my camera today. I used a different one during the the photowalk last weekend but that can’t compete with my favourite mechanical gear. I had the crave.

Just you and me ...For a good causeGotta catch them all ...They need some good coachingThe selfie generationAcross the roadLooking down ....Of construct ....Indoor lighting ....Blowing bubblesTurning backSince Anita needed some air, I decided to have dinner at Bukit Bintang and since I was early, I had enough town to walk around before we settled down to eat. The weather was rather overcast, threatening to rain, but the Pavilion area was buzzing with plenty of activities.

Considering it was a dull day, I did have a few shots. At least I could go back home happy …. for another week …..

Glorious Monday Morning

I must say that I was stunned when I was heading out to send Idlan off to his school bus this morning. Such a glorious sunrise, and in snapped this from my balcony.

I could almost make out Venus right in the Centre of the frame. After my shower and breakfast, the light just kept on getting better. I couldn't resist it but to start snapping around the apartment.

A great way to start the week I thought. The ward round could wait that just a bit longer ...