Sunday, Slightly Underdone

Please click the photo above to play the daily videoRounds were smooth this morning — in and out with the kind of efficiency that makes you wonder why every day can't be like this. Back well before noon, the Sunday still intact, the afternoon wide open. These are the mornings you bank against the ones that don't go as cleanly.

Anita had plans. Specifically, she had a craving for Pal Gae Ook at KLCC, the Korean place that's served us well in the past. The key phrase there being "in the past." Something had shifted. Several items on the menu were unavailable, which is never an encouraging start, and what did arrive felt like a lesser version of itself. The marinade — the thing that makes or breaks Korean food — had lost its conviction. Not terrible, just diminished, as though someone had followed the recipe but forgotten the point of it. It's a particular disappointment when a place you've trusted quietly lowers its own bar. You don't make a scene. You just recalibrate your expectations and silently cross it off the mental shortlist.

Kinokuniya afterwards, which is always a reliable antidote to a mediocre meal. There's something about wandering a good bookshop that resets the day — the smell of new pages, the unhurried browsing, the pleasant fiction that you have time to read everything that catches your eye. Azul's book was still on display, which gave me a small flush of reflected pride. There's a quiet thrill in seeing someone you know on a bookshop shelf, proof that they did the thing they said they were going to do. Well done, that man.

I also picked up next season's Manchester United jersey, which is either an act of faith or an act of stubbornness depending on how you feel about the current trajectory. New kit, same hope. The cycle continues. It looked good, though, which at this point might be the most reliable thing about the club.

A cappuccino at Smith & Wollensky rounded things off nicely — good coffee, a comfortable seat, the kind of pause that makes a Sunday afternoon feel properly earned. KLCC humming away beyond the window, the weekend winding down at its own pace.

And then the phone. A case in ICU, which is the sort of call that doesn't negotiate with your afternoon plans. Back to the hospital, the shift in gears now familiar if never entirely welcome. You go, you do what's needed, you come home. The day bends around it.

Dinner was quiet — just Anita and me, nothing elaborate, the kind of meal that's more about proximity than presentation. The evening settled into that particular Sunday stillness, the week ahead not yet asserting itself but faintly visible on the horizon. A mixed day, really. Some of it exactly what you'd want from a weekend, some of it less so. But that's the texture of things. Not every Korean marinade can be perfect, and not every Sunday stays uninterrupted. You take what the day gives you and call it enough.

Kopi Susu

The name invoked a lazy Sunday afternoon enjoying a warm drink while watching the time pass by. That was also the title of an exhibition at White Box Publika of the work by the artist Soraya Yusof Talismail.

I thought that the subject matter would be happy faces and jovial scenes. Far from that. It was more of Kampung scenes, devoid of people. Just you and nature. And no coffee in sight.

I just missed the forum when I entered. The artist was still in the hall speaking to the visitors.All the photos were monochromic, hence the reference to Kopi Susu or Latte. It was more of the technical process of printing in the end I think. And that may explain the size of the prints. They were too small for the subject matter for my liking. This point was brought home by the impact from a few of the prints which were bigger. Those carried more impact!

There were around 20 artworks on display but no narrative. 

I was there on a Sunday but due to work, I missed the couple of forums organised for the day to supplement the exhibition. Maybe if I were to attend those, I would have appreciated the program a bit more.

Now, this how big the prints should be ....Some background reading and information would have helped a great deal to those casual art and photography lovers like myself. As it was, it was not worth the effort for me going out of my way to see it.

KL International AV Show 2018

This is a yearly event which I was always keen to attend. Not much of an audiophile nowadays but I like good recording. The current hifi setup I had was bought after attending one of this event a couple of years back and it was a good event to see new gears and just have a good look.

This year's venue was a departure from the last one. It was held at Sunway Putra Hotel, right next door to the old The Mall opposite PWTC.

I'm legit!The venue was smaller than before - JW Marriott at Bukit Bintang. But the concept were the same. Using hotel rooms emulate our living room to a certain extand, which gave better acoustics rather than open spaces. But walking through hotel corridors did pose some unique problem. The traffic flow around the venue as well as queue for the lifts proved testing.

So, did I hear any good stuffs? I sure did.

This must have been the most expensive kit on display Some of the gears were deduct loudly expensive and relatively unknown. The rigs were too big and difficult to maintain. I wanted a streaming system which is more practical and would fit both my budget and space.

The one which caught my eyes were the system from Linn. Not an all in one like my Naim set, but sounded excellent. The units were not yet available in Malaysia though. The unit on show were from Singapore although I was welcome to order.

There were some good clearance deals as well as it was the last few hours of exhibition. And I was guilty of picking up a Bluetooth amplifier. I have yet to get a speaker for it at the minute but the deal was just too good to ignore.

Now to the poor man's area ...Headphones were also seemed to be making a comeback ...There were units going in excess of RM100k with great sound. But it would depend on the source. Just a plain CD would not be enough to explore the real quality of the system. Most of the units either use a specialized streaming unit or turntable. Not practical really for casual users like myself.

I may have a closer look at the Linn system once a local unit is available. The sound were good enough for me ...

Cempedak Luar Pagar

My late father loves jack fruit. There is a small plot of land opposite his house on which he planted a few trees. One of them was a jack fruit and for the last few years it had been yielding some fruits.

Not bad actually. And fresh from the tree, my Mum would fry it. I went to visit Mum last Sunday and we had exactly that. Good stuff actually. Yum yum!

Malaysia Coffee Fest 2018 Part II

Continued from part I here.

A few things caught my eye and was worth mentioning. Nespresso didn't offer anything much and I was already familiar with their products. There was a company called Cristo which offered free machine rental as long as you order their coffee cartridges monthly. Their brew was quite good and straight forward but I've already got my Nespresso kit.

Krup machines were going quite cheap, about half price to what I've seen before. There were also discounts on prosumer coffee makers but the machines were just too complicated and I doubt that I could cope. Anita wasn't much a coffee drinker as well.

That kiosk brew me the best blend of the visitThis one was way too complicated for me ...More brewing and more sampling ...The best coffee I had was brewed by a company called Spetta. I wasn't familiar with their product but the latte they prepared for me was smooth and delicious. With enough kick to wake me up ... But I swore that the barista was Bangladeshi though from the way he was describing the product. I just couldn't get that out of my head as I left his kiosk ...

There were a few competitions going on at the time but with the activities around I lost track about what was going on.

These pastries were nice as well. But it didn't go for free ...I think the barista needed a break ...Some competitors being interviewed ...Time to go, although there were a few more events going on ...I would definitely go there again next time. Hopefully not on a post-call day. The caffeine fix I had should keep me up tonight in time for the World Cup Finals ...