LAMPU 2015

It was a spur of the moment thing. Anita learned about the event and asked if we could go, and the decision was made within a couple of hours. She called the driver up and arranged everything. Initially I planned to attend a photo exhibition in town. I got hijacked.

So, off we go with Idlan in tow.

LAMPU - Lights and Motion Putrajaya - is a yearly extravaganza of light blitz. This year would be the third edition of the event, held at the spectacular backdrop of Putrajaya. The main events took place in the evening - for three straight nights - with a brilliant light shows. That was what we went there for.

Unfortunately the heaven opened. It rained heavily all the way to Putrajaya, but luckily it stopped when we arrived. The rain only returned when the light show started, and we were already under a shade.

The light show was not bad although we only managed to stay for around half an hour due to the weather. We didn't get to venture into the other attractions - food truck and stalls - having to rush back to avoid the rush of people returning from the event.

The turnout was pretty decent considering the rain. We reached there just after 8, with the show starting at around 8.30. The light show lasted around 15 minutes and will be repeated multiple times during he course if the night. We were there for the first show.

Apart from the light show, there were some nice light effects at the gardens. We wished that we were better informed of the event. We tried hard to surf the net for more info but they were clearly lacking. We ended up just going with the flow and at the mercy of where we find our parking space. Definitely would go again but wished that we could plan the visit better.

Weekend of Misadventures

Finally had a free weekend after my trips abroad. One of my colleague asked for a switch of calls, and I ended up with some free time.

We started with a nice dinner at The Curve on Friday, ending with sugar rush in my part.

I spent the Saturday afternoon at Bangsar Village looking at children and families going around in Halloween costumes, followed by planned visit to a photo exhibit. But Anita made me change my mind and we were off to Putrajaya for a bit of LAMPU, a light show there. It rained unfortunately.

Then came Sunday. Anita was keen to bring out her picnic mat, and reading about a food fest in town definitely excited her. Foodgasmfest 2015 entered the fray and we were there for lunch. With an empty stomach. Unfortunately our stomach stayed empty when we left ....

At least we had the chance to have some time to ourselves though ...

Xmas at The Curve

Friday evening outing resumed last weekend and we descended to the usual place, The Curve and had dinner at Marche.

This time around there was a steak promotion - Black Angus from Australia and they were almost as succulent as wagyu beef. But I didn't mind. They tasted just as nice.

We then checked out the decorations at the main lobby. For the duration of Xmas, it looked like the bazaar that were usually set up during weekends would be opened every night. It gave the appearance of a night market. The main foyer also had a stage erected with stalls and shops. Nothing special, but it was better than nothing.

We spent the whole evening just looking around after that. Clearly felt festive.

Mechanically Frozen

As mentioned, my boys had been keen on watching Frozen for the last couple of months. Since it opened last week, they had been harping on about it. And with Idlan going for his bersunat on Wednesday, we had to do it sooner rather than later.

So, off we went on a late night show last Sunday evening.

It was a 3D show. Armed with the oversized goggle-glasses, we took out seats and was immediately stunned by the opening short-video to warm us up before the main event. And might as well.

I left the theatre with mixed feelings after the show was done. Yes, I didn't hold my attention enough that I actually dozed off for quite a bit. The story were both mechanical and predictable. It stuck to the tried and tested Disney animated fantasy of yesteryears to the T. As a result, it got boring pretty quickly.

Pretty princesses. Checked. Charming sidekicks. Checked. Plucky tunes. Checked. Lived happily ever after at the end. Checked. But unfortunately, it was no Little Mermaid. No Ariel. No Sebastian. No "Under the Sea". Great effort, but failed to fulfil the high expectation that Disney themselves created.

I would still recommend it to young families as the trip would no doubt still be enjoyable. The animation was nothing short of spectacular, but in the end, they were all just eye candy. And the 3D effect was A-MA-ZING!

Verdict from my boys? Idlan was amazed at the 3D but for Irfan, not so. They would still get the DVD later when it comes out though.

Frozen Out

Not done with a long day with the kenduri, we went out for a late nighter. Watching Frozen at Signature and returning home well after midnight. A first outing watching a movie on 3D. Quite impressive.

Sad to report that I slept through the middle third of the movie. I just couldn't stay awake. In between I could hear the gasp from the boys, while munching on their fries and popcorn.

The theatre was just too comfortable ...

Will blog about the movie later. But the initial verdict was Idlan enjoyed the 3D more than Irfan. I think it had something to do with the fact that the 3D glasses didn't fit Irfan terribly well. It was a touch too big for him despite using a children size. I also had some issues since I was wearing my usual glasses underneath.

The effect was amazing though ...

I was suffering from it this morning, having to wake up as usual for work with not enough sleep ..... Sipping on my coffee when I started this entry.