Another Blue Hour

It was a post-call afternoon. Irfan had just returned from his week away in Gopeng for school trip. Anita insisted on getting him his favourite. That would mean a drive to Pavilion in Friday afternoon traffic ...

The famous fountain in front of Pavilion, captured at f8.0

I decided to have my own dinner as soon as I arrived. Rather than rush back home - Irfan had already had something else to eat then - I decided to take my camera gear out and enjoy the blue hour ....

The sky was clear and Bukit Bintang was buzzing. A perfect time to mingle about.

I took a walk towards Lot 10 and crossed the famous intersection there, walking further towards Low Yat. The place was full with a band playing in the background. From afar, I could see Arab Street being filled with people having dinner and enjoying sisha. A lot of tourist in KL this time of the year. With nice afternoon weather, I might as well join them and enjoy. Rainy season was coming .... enjoy it while it lasts ....

Japan Expo Malaysia 2018

I stumbled across the event during he last installation in 2017. I happened to have a free after noon with Anita and the boys away to Port Dickson. I went for a spot of lunch at Pavilion and saw all the commotion. Apparently Pikataro was there and I managed to get a video of his performance from the top floor of the mall.

This time around, with the new Facebook Local app, finding out about the happenings in town turned out to be a lot simpler. Irfan had been keen on Japan lately so, after work, I brought him to have a look.

Can somebody explain about the guy in the blue bear costume?She doesn't look impressed ...Welcome ...Exploring the upper floors ...The whole thing appeared overwhelming to him and after a short walk, he decided that he has had enough. We had just missed the Cosplay parade at the time and there were a few singers performing at the time. The crowd was not as big as the one last year but maybe it was because the venue was more dispersed rather than concentrated at just one area.

Exploring some digital artsDrawing on the wall ...Stories to listen toStill halfway ...

We explored the six floor area near Tokyo Street where pop-up stalls were located. Plenty of offers for holidays in various parts of Japan on show, even some stalls from Japanese universities in case we were interested. Plenty of food stalls of course but Irfan was not very keen as he was not sure if they were Halal or not.

Air Asia was also in the act with some flight offers to JapanThe stalls by the fountainGirl by the fountain ...Not sure who she is but she was giving away autographs ...There were also some stalls by the fountain at the entrance. Mainly food as well as some Cosplayer hanging around. Quite fun but the crowd were less than they were last year. Maybe there were plenty of events going on at the same time this weekend. There was Riuh at APW Bangsar as well as a Kakiseni event at Public. Will be checking those out tomorrow rather ...

Ending Raya Break Part II

From Part I ...

Lunch was nice. The sun was high at the time and heat was searing. I then walked by Dataran Merdeka - which was calm that day - angling towards the River of Life before stopping at one of the shops for more drinks.

The birds at Lebuh AmpangBy Masjid Jamek and the newly-built shadesThe corridor of the old Court House next to Masjid JamekThe old COurt had been converted into a modern theatreWaiting under the shadesPart of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. Hopefully it will long be preserved ...Next was Medan Pasar with a stop at Ruang to catch a small exhibition - The Towns of Malaya - enjoying the air conditioning and some real nice history. Next was Central Market. I debated for another stop or just to take the MRT to Bukit Bintang. Bukit Bintang won.

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building from the rear. The tall pole at Dataran Merdeka can be seen as well.You've been warned .... no hanky-panky around here ...The colourful building by the River of Life. The colour of the buildings reminds me of Amsterdam.The flagpole by Dataran Merdeka. Used to be the tallest in the World.Across to the National Textile Museum The newly refurbished Kafe Old Market Square by Medan Pasar.Heading North ...At Bukit Bintang, I stopped for another coffee before making my way on foot past Pavilion back to KLCC using the elevated walkway. I was back at Suria where I started just before 4 pm taking the time to browse at Kinokuniya before returning home ...

A quick stop at RuangTaking the MRT from Central Market, heading to Bukit BintangBack to Pavilion and the famous fountainThe World Cup FeverMaking my way back to KLCC using the walkwayMore World Cup shenanigans Now that was a full day. Plenty to snap but it would have been better with an early start where the sun was lower and the heat was not as bad ...

Decorations at Pavilion

When it came to festivities, Pavilion was always tops with the decorations. This Hari Raya, it was no exception. The theme was not very clear, but I saw many stars about. And of course some pelita - the traditional Malay lantern.

The decorations started from the Bukit Bintang entrace, leading straight to main lobby. There were stalls there as usual, with a small stage for shows.

I was there on a Sunday, and the place was packed! Luckily I parked at Low Yat - having been doing some shopping there before walking across as the weather was nice. I also get o try my new wode-angle zoom for the CL - a Super-Vario-Elmar.

Apart from the decorations, there were not much happening then. I did not hang around for too long as I had to do more shopping after.

GoPro Blue Hour

After a day of meeting, I was ready to have some chill out time. Anita asked if I can drive her out. Sure. And that gave me the chance to bring my GoPro out since it had been such a clear sunny day that day.

I reached Bukit Bintang at around sunset after negotiating some heavy traffic. Many people were doing their preparations for Chinese New Year and the road had been busy. I immediately noticed that the blue light after sunset that day would be gorgeous.

There were definitely plenty to snap at Bukit Bintang with people mingling about. GoPro jpg rendition definitely favours blue sky. The blue just popped, contrasting the neon lights on the ground.

My walk took me to the famous Bukit Bintang intersection by the monorail station. There were live street musician playing which I recorded of course. I also had the chance to do a bit of time lapse - which in the end turned out to be too short.

I then doubled back to Pavilion to join Anita for dinner, again taking some photos of the famous fountain. All in all, the GoPro coped well with the high ISO needed to capture evening scenes after sunset. Captures up to ISO 1600 seems to still be useable. I didn't dare to leave the setting above that.