Strangely Intriguing

I had been hearing some great things about Stranger Things. It had made a highly acclaim debut on TV and there was plenty of buzz about them during the Emmy earlier this year. Over the last couple of weeks, I managed to catch the episodes on Netflix, and I must say that I was impressed.

The thing I like most was how atmospheric the whole series was. It really transformed me back to the 80s, during my school days. The music, the colour palate, the clothing were just spot on. And the storyline was not half bad either. Watching it in 4K and surround sound was great

I managed to complete the finale last night and it left enough intrigue to lure me to watch the second season. I believe that would be coming in the middle of 2017 ...

Next up for me would be to have a binge on "Westworld". I only managed a couple of episodes while it was playing on ASTRO. Hopefully I can get them through Apple TV.

Rags to Riches

RUANG - which was the Urbanscapes House from last year was fast becoming a hub for the creative lot in the middle of the city. The location was great, it had ample space and very accessible made the place an ideal setting for exhibits and events.

This weekend, I was able to catch a photo exhibit hosted by Kenny Loh and Born in Malaysia at the second floor of the venue. It was the final day of the event and Kenny himself was there to welcome the visitors. I spent close to half an hour looking through the photos and they were certainly eye openers.

Ample space and great lighting ...It was basically an exhibit about the lives the immigrants in the KL inner city, how they cope with life hear, their struggles behind the scene. Each photos carry its own story, some happy, plenty are sad but fascinating none the less.

KL was becoming a hotpot of South and Southeast Asia, with he evidence being obvious everywhere. The city was fast becoming divided into quarters with each migrant population occupying their own space, displacing the locals essentially. The days when we congregated at Kota Raya and Puduraya were long gone now. There were now the territories of the Filipinos, where they congregate each weekends at the nearby church. The Nepalese were now occupying Medan Pasar. Bangladeshis and Indonesian had also established their hub.

In the next generation, the current locals may be displaced out of the inner city at the current rate. The stories and pictures just illustrated how those migrants struggled here as well as some success stories in the mix. Most of them were here to make an honest living, and I second them. My worries were the Africans who were similarly making inroads to the capital, mainly occupying the suburbs. There brought with them their own cultures and problem ....

The exhibits were well thought off and I would definitely be coming back should another instalment of the series came to fruition. I must admit that one of the photos brought tears to my eyes. It featured a Chinese family business about to be closed down as time evolved. It was originally opened by a migrant whose children had since called Malaysia their home. The shop were finally closed after being in business for a century. I snapped that particular passage below ....

I was lucky to be able to make it back to the LRT station before it started pouring ...Kenny alerted me that it was about to rain outside when I said goodbye, good luck and looking forward to more to come. I made it to the LRT station just in time before the rain fell ... A great Saturday afternoon it was ....

Snaps of Jonker

An Old World Charm. The colonials meets Peranakan. The fusion of the East and the West. That was what the Straits Settlements had in common. It was a theme we could explore in all three areas. Penang, Malacca and Singapore. They have this row of house and dare I say a different ways of living their lives. Seemed that the modern era effected them in a special way, to only enrich their culture rather than change too much with the time.

From the rows of colourful cafes, the warmth of the locals - apart from the obvious fact that the local merchants were now replaced by the foreigners - the brightly painted shop facade, the laid back eateries and bed and breakfast littering the town. It all added to the potpourri of feelings you had when you visit the City. And there were gems to be found in unexpected corners if you dare to explore. Be it a specialty shop or a rustic restaurant. Just bring your camera along and pray for great weather.

I had the same feeling when I travel to Penang as well but somehow things moved at a faster pace there. Here, it was more easygoing, although weekends were nightmares. Too many people. Too many cars. Driving into Bandar Melaka can be an ordeal.

But if you were willing to spend a couple of nights - better still at the charming bed and breakfast they had around Jonker - you could absorb the charm as they come. And that was a good thing.

Traveling there for a day trip really fit not make justice to the city. After negotiating the hundreds of traffic lights from Ayer Keroh where you exit the highway and finding a parking spot in town, you could only afford a few hours walking around before it was time to go again.

We plan to spend a night here in the future. And really explore the place .....

Cendol Hawa

This was a little known gem in Damansara Damai. Anita learned about it from one of our ex-schoolmate and before long, she took me along to the place a few Saturdays ago when we happened to be driving around the area. It was a discovery!

They had a couple of main specialties. Cendol of course and Penang laksa - the proper ones!

The instructions are clearBon apetit The place was pretty simple but both the cendol and the laksa was amazing. The cendol had proper santan in them and the green cendol bits were crispy and crunchy! Not too sweet but it was definitely full of fat!

As for the laksa, it came with the shrimp paste! How can it go wrong?!

Would definitely be coming back to the place again in the future. Despite how popular it was, on that particular Saturday we didn't have any issues getting a parking spot or a table. I can't really tell where the exact location was as I was not familiar with Damansara Damai but over there there was only one bus terminal and the stall was located there! So ask around. Highly recommended!

CNY Day at Mid Valley

I had to stay in town for Chinese New Year as usual. Generally speaking it was the best time of the year to stay in KL with the light traffic and generally good hot weather.

Some of the shops were closed for the daySince for this year, the CNY happened during weekend, not many people left town. KL ended up to be more congested than usual, and the shopping malls were crowded. For the day, after my morning rounds, Anita and I went to Mid Valley - which happened to be about 5 minutes from our apartment.

Some great singing ...

Although the place was crowded, it felt festive. The main foyer was filler with decorations and traditional singing. We had a nice lunch at one of the French Cafe there before departing in the late afternoon. A lot of the visitors were in their cheongsam, maybe after visiting their friends or going to the temple. Surprisingly, the majority of the visitors there were Chinese ...