Tea Republic, BSC

Naturally one has tea at Tea Republic, but I was reliably informed that they serve note than that. I had the chance to visit the outlet earlier in the week. We held the KLickr discussion for the upcoming Urbanscape there, and one of my friend actually worked there.

The outlet was located on the second floor of the newly refurbished Bangsar Shopping Center. it was part of the new wing, right at the back if you come through the main entrance. Of you were unfamiliar with the place, a quick glance at floor plan or ask one of the friendly staffs, and you would be pointed towards the back of the building. A couple of escalator rides up, and you're there.

If was certainly quiet corner, next to Tutti Frutti which tended to be heaving with children. The menu was rather complicated if you were not familiar with the variety of tea brew on offer. They also offer main courses and light snacks, as well as cookies and cakes. I was not sure if they do any coffee ....

My far-too-sweet Red Velvet cakeI ordered one of the ice tea - it was infused with mint and lemon, light to the taste and zesty from the lemon. It needed some sugar syrup to balance things out, but refreshing none the less. I also ordered a red velvet cake, hoping that the cake came from Gourmet downstairs. To cut a long story short, it wasn't. One of my fellow KLickr ordered nasi biryani. He said that it was OK. Mind you, he has not had lunch, and it was close to 5pm.

More discussionTo sum up, it was cosy little place to meet friends and had a quiet down time. Food was OK, staffs was friendly and the ambiance was relaxing. There was also wifi provided for free for those interested.

Third Kelby Photowalk

It was a memorable day. And it was a long day. KLickr participated in the Third Annual Scott Kelby Photowalk, and I was asked to select the route. Reading through my scouting pictures, I am sure that you were familiar with the proposed route. We started off at Central Market, at one of the mamak stalls there. Around 30 people participated and we left on time just after 10.15.

The route was plottedStarting pointBack to the wallWhen I woke up earlier in the morning, I kept my fingers crossed since there were heavy clouds around. Luckily it held, but the weather through out the walk was a rather overcast one. Although it was not too hot, the mood was also rather dull. We started off towards Dayabumi, then the train station, spending some time at the platform. We then pass by Masjid Negara, towards Dataran Merdeka. By the time we reached there, the group was already hungry.

Spotted by the Dayabumi carparkLast postBy the platformThe KTM StationQuick snackAt Restoran Warisan, near Dataran MerdekaWaiting?Putu anyone?Most of the group called it a day after lunch, which was had at a ‘daun pisang’ restaurant near Masjid Jamek. By the end, only a handful of us continued on towards Chinatown. As you can imagine, it was a tiring affair. I called it a day after Chinatown, walking back towards the spot where we started. Will wait for next year, but from my reading the Malacca group had tons of fun. I might be joining that walk for the next year’s chapter, just for the experience. All together, I processed about 160 photos taken on the walk.

More photos in the coming entry.

The Proposed Route

The proposed meeting point - no, I don't have shares thereHere we go! We will start off from Central Market. Best bet would be to park across the river at Dayabumi, or alternatively to use public transport. We will congregate at Restoran Yusoof dan Zakeer, right next door to the Central Market building. On Saturdays, watch out for the market stalls along the lane in front of the restaurant. We will have breakfast there from 9.30 before embarking on our walk at around 10.15 at the latest. Please be on time. As soon as we get a big enough group, we will start off. For my contact, please DM me on flickr or twitter @harisrahman. Let me first make one thing clear – anyone can join up even if they have yet to formally register. You are welcomed to join in or leave at any point, as long as people are aware that you will be doing so. None of us will be doing any head count! But beware, the obligatory group photo will take place at the beginning, not the end! LOL!

The restaurant might be hidden behind these canopiesWalking behind a stageCrossing a bridge towards Kompleks DayabumiWalking through the carparkUntil we emerged on the other side. Looking right towards Dataran Merdeka. Will be turning left instead.We will then walk past Dayabumi on our left, towards the train stationWe will make our way around the Central Market area before pushing on across a small bridge towards Dayabumi, through the carpark and the basement shops there to the other side, which lead us onto the main road, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin. Turning right will take us to Dataran Merdeka. We will be turning left instead, towards the Post Office Building, down the hill along Jalan Tugu, heading for the Old KTM Station, and Headquarters. We will linger here for a while, before crossing the underpass towards Masjid Negara. Next up will be a trek towards Dataran Merdeka. We should be there well before midday. After snapping the architecture around there – the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the tall flagpole and the Royal Selangor Club, we will head towards Masjid Jamek. There are restaurants here for lunch. There is a mamak restaurant, a Malay restaurant, and other fast food outlet – Burger King and McDonald’s around the Masjid Jamek Monorail station. There is also a 7-Eleven there.

We will head towards the old train station, now converted into a hotel. From here we will use the terowong to the KTM headquarters and Masjid NegaraQuick glimpse at the old stationThe KTM Headquarters right oppositeWe will then walk past Masjid Negara towards Dataran Merdeka - the Bangunan Sultan Abdul SamadThe famous flagpoleDataran MerdekaAfter lunch, we will linger around the Lebuh Ampang area, maybe snapping and joining the Dzohor crowd at Masjid Jamek, before heading towards Chinatown. We will pass by Lebuh Ampang, Central Market and its annex, and Bangkok Bank – more architecture and urban snaps, just in time to reach Chinatown/Petaling Street. A quick check on the internet, in terms of happenings in the city, there will be an AV exhibition at the Marriot, a few new shows opening on the theatre, a silat festival at Central Market the next day – 25th July, some poetry reciting demonstration at Dewan Bahasa, otherwise there were hardly any event happening on the day nearby.

Proposed lunch site - around the Masjid Jamek Monorail station, a few eateries there.We will then walk by the Masjid Jamek - on the spot where Sg Gombak met Sg KelangWe will then walk further towards Chinatown, via Bangkok Bank and absorb the atmosphere

We will spent the rest of the walk at Petaling Street. For those who have not ventured to Chinatown recently – myself included – the place has really been transformed. The rooftop canopy being the main one, hence should in be raining in the late afternoon – we should be fine. The canopy covers the whole of the main street. Halfway up, we will reach a junction, with another path cutting right across. The landmark here will be the chestnut stalls – buah berangan. Turning right will take us towards Hotel Malaya at the end, and left to the China Town Beautique Hotel with stalls all along the path. Straight on from the main path will take us deep into the business part of Petaling Street where the main bargain and business were to be had, when we talk about counterfeit stuffs etc. On my previous dry run, I don’t think the storekeepers there appreciate us coming in with our camera without buying their wares. Better to stay away from that part unless you fancy some bargain yourselves. The area was colouful to say the least and everyone will be free to roam. The final stop will be where we started in the first place, Central Market – Restoran Yusoof dan Zakeer maybe a good landmark to meet up should everyone wish. Following that, we can also roam around CM, have tea. It should be more crowded at that hour.

Hotel Winsin across Bangkok BankFinally reaching Petaling Street properIt will be crowded late afternoon on a SaturdayThe canopy I mentionedColours everywhereThe beautique hotel at one endCheck uot this old-school apam balik vendorDuring my prior discussion with Shafina – our co-leader, has a few ideas of footing in a photoslide event at the end of the walk Venue was the issue. I will keep everyone updated should there be any news.

Finally basking in the glory of a successful walkJust a friendly message to everybody joining. Do distribute and exchange your phone numbers at the beginning as should some of us be left behind a quick phonecall could make all the difference. Be safe. Travel light, not with all your gears hanging on you etc. Be sensible. Travel at least in pairs. The more the merrier. The area we shall be venturing in will be full of people as the theme will be urban. Wear a comfortable pair of footwear. But most importantly, have fun. Looking forward to meeting up and getting to know all of you!

A more complete entry with pictures of the route can be seen in my blog at http://harisrahman.com – but only in a couple of days. I need time to go through all the photos to upload. Take care.

Original Copy

Nagen doing some DIY on his photosCertainly it had been a cracker of a weekend for my 7D. Yesterday with the boys’ concert and today - Sunday - the scouting for the upcoming photowalk and then the trip over to the Curve to meet up with my fellow KLickers at the Laundry Bar. A couple of the KLickers were invited to talk about environmental photography as a theme for n event organised by Aesthetics online magazine and the Malaysian Nature Society.

The two speakers, Javad and Prakash - the boys from BombayOne of the six exhibitors was my cousin, AdiI wonder what Ripi was up to?More discussionsGetting the remote to work - it was all high tech stuff!We also had six of the photographers exhibiting their work at the venue. This was followed by a talk by Prakash Daniel, a fellow KLickr. He talked mainly about the effect of nature to our surrounding urban environment, and the pictures he exhibited were simply amazing. Unfortunately this was let down by the AV equipment they had at the venue. It was out of focus and just simply cannot cope with the contrast of the photographs being projected. This was made worst by the fact that the second speaker - Jaavad, the original Prince of Persia - he was from Iraq - had most of his photos in black and white.

Prakash - "It's showtime!"Javad - the original Prince of PersiaMinus his slippersJaav talked about his recent trip to Sri Lanka and how the interaction between the people and environment were a lot more direct there compared to here in Malaysia. He noted that since there were no refrigerators, food were cooked fresh and produce were bought and consumed on the same day. He also pointed out that since the country was in the process of rebuilding themselves after the bloody civil war, they were very happy to have tourists and photographers going around taking photographs of their country and the people. They were very willing to pose, and then will thank the photographer. For them, it was an opportunity to make the beauty of their country known to the whole world. I don’t think you can have any of that here! Look at Pavilion for a start. The moment they see a group of photographers lurking around, the security - who were mostly foreigners - will usher them away! Confusing wasn’t it?

The photographers about to introduce their workAfter the talk, the photographers who had their work on display had the opportunity to introduce the photos and ask for critique. We also introduced our group, KLickrs and our upcoming activities - to include the 1000 portraits of Kuala Lumpur for the upcoming Urbanscapes. Unfortunately I will be giving a lecture in Lumut that very day! We also had representatives both from Aesthetics and Nature Society making their appearances as well.

We then adjourned to .....This was how the photos would have looked like without the projector making a mess of themThe talk adjourned by half past 5 and the KLickrs then headed for ‘Waroeng Penyet’ for a quick tea and further chat. I also had the chance to get some take about the upcoming photowalk I was trying to organise. I had to leave early after some drinks as it was already getting late.

Slideshow for the event can be seen here. More info on KLickrs here.

KL Design Week

I decided to check out the KL Design Week after hearing about it by my KLickrs friends. The embarked on a project, assigning a total of 20 photographers on 10 locations, to capture ….. Photographs. It was then collated into a mini exhibit. The Design Week started proper yesterday and according to the program pamphlet, it will go on until the end of the month of May. There were six main locations, and the KLickrs got ourselves a booth at the CapSquare. Just a nice little corner exhibit. Unfortunately due to my work - sigh! - I can’t offer anything more apart from support.

Some of the exhibitsSince I was free this morning, I decided to check them out. Located on the second floor, it was right around the corner, near the Subway outlet there. Since I reached there just after noon, Shafina was busy putting up the photos as it was taken down when they left for home last night for security reasons. They also decided, rather than using LCD projectors, we used portable LCD displays instead, plastered onto the display wall. I had to leave before everything was ready unfortunately. I took the time to visit the other exhibit as well.

List of KLickrs who participatedBeing put upHard at workApart from CapSquare, the other venues involved were Pavilion, National Art Gallery, Galeri Petronas at KLCC, map/Dutamas and KL Convention Centre. Apart from exhibits, there were also series of talks and lectures, with conferences and symposia held at the KLCC venues. Please refer to the KLDW website for more details. I spend an hour or so looking at the stalls at CapSquare, mainly put up by design students from various colleges and universities. Some of them have pretty neat concept. Take one USM student, in collaboration with Zoo Negara exhibited a prototype board game. It was pretty basic but the idea shone through. Unfortunately most of the exhibits need more design development as just by looking, it was not very clear what they were trying to put across. The fact that I was there too early, and the exhibitors have not yet arrived clearly does not help. I did email a few of them though asking questions and giving my thoughts.

Another exhibit that caught my eye was done by another student. I was afraid, I can’t remember where he is currently studying but I managed to grab his card. His name is Ling Koh Yong. He developed five cartoon characters which he called ‘Teens Like Me’, with all the interactions and teenage angst. It was exhibited by a series of caricature as proof of concept. Again, the fact that Mr Ling was not there did not help me in visualising the interactions between the characters as if they were fully developed, I can imagine them being made into a cartoon series on TV, or at least on the web. I got the phone number but it was best searched via Facebook. There were other more commercial exhibits, but I was more interested in what the students had to offer. I am a University Lecturer after all ….

Up in the cloudI think, with better publicity, the Design Week may make more of an impact. As it was, it was pretty low key as far as I can tell. When I told my friends, I was checking out the KL Design Week, I got mainly blank stares. There were a few student exhibits, but none were from UniKL, Lim Kok Wing of Multimedia University as far as I can see. I was expecting more participation from these so called ‘design powerhouses’, ones which I expected to produce the designers of the future. More work here is needed I think.