Labour Day Walk

Last weekend I was in Kota Kinabalu. And with the gorgeous weather we had yesterday, I just couldn't resist taking my camera out. I had to do some banking and pay some bills as well. So, it was a good enough excuse.

The after was just as gorgeous although Anita didn't let me go into town with the anti-GST rally going on around KLCC. Most of my friends were there, with their camera on tow. Some excellent photos to be had.

Instead we had a nice family outing.

But for now, let just stick with the photos. A couple of theme. Mother's Day was just around the corner and some cute paper flowers were on display at the Pavilion main entrance.

Across the road, there was also a small space right into of Fahrenheit with some cute colourful caricuture from a paint company. Nicely done...

This Weekend's Walk

I was on call last Friday, which usually meant that my whole weekend would be occupied. I was somewhat lucky this time around that even though there were many admissions, things settled down pretty well by this morning.

I ended up discharging half of my workload on the Sunday morning.

That meant that I could have a relatively quiet afternoon, catch up with some some sleep, or maybe walk around.

I decided to head to Low Yat Plaza. The missions was to have a look at the soon-to-be-released Galaxy S6 Edge. Great phone, but shame about the the skin which Samsung put on on top of the Android standard OS. Minimal this time but noticeable.

Fantastic screen. Much smaller than I thought - after all, I was carrying the iPhone 6 Plus in my pocket.

But it rained while I was browsing and I spend a good half an hour at Starbucks waiting for it to subside. And then, the sun came out unexpectedly, allowing me to take a few more snaps.

Not much else was going on after that. I was thinking about watching a movie but the timings were a bit off.

Back home then for some afternoon tea with the boys and Anita.

The Two Temples

Namely Guan Di and Sin Sze Si Ya Temples at Jalan Tun H S Lee, just round the corner from Central Market. It was Chinese New Year after all and words were out that some of my photography buddy were out in town.

I rushed through the morning rounds and parked my car at NU Sentral, taking the LRT to Central Market to join the rest.

It was still early, and we were in between a change of crowds. The early morning ones had just left and the ones for mid morning were just trickling in. And the light was kind as well. Just enough to capture the wonderful colours without compromising the contrast.

But the main drawback was the smoke from the incense. I could stand the smell but the sting onto the eyes which hurt. It also formed layers at the front of my lens filter. And by the end, my whole shirt and hair smelt of soot.

Guan Di was the first that we stopped at. It was more opened and more crowded. The second stop was better for me. It was more intimate and the place being indoors created some interesting light. Although a bit more smokey. For good effect of course.

I just had to stay away from those coming in to worship but on the whole, no one gave me any grief. It was a great outing although I had to head back to the hospital to see a referral right after.

I would definitely do another temple run in the future but maybe with better planning. It was more of a spur of the moment thing yesterday.

Deepavali at Pavilion

Taking my new zoom for a spin, I caught the Deepavali decorations at Pavilion. Colorful and expansive, it occupied the main entrance to this shopping complex.

The kolam extended towards the famous fountain at the Bukit Bintang entrance.

As the exhibits were quite big in size, I was able to test my zoom, cramping the perspective.

I was in a bit of a rush though as it was a work day and I have a ward round later that afternoon.

Time for Goodbye

Another photowalk was sorted. Certainly this year the walk was different. There was a more raw edge to it. And this happened in Pudu a few days after a bomb exploded in Bukit Bintang nearby killing one person.

There was always a suspicion that the local triad had a hand in that. This was always a case in a Chinese dominated business district. Pudu was no different.

As usual, the walk was started with the obligatory group shop. And at the end point, there was always lunch. This time the exit point was back at Pudu Plaza. That was handy since I parked there.

After a quick snack, it was time to say goodbye. We shall meet again next year ...