Birds @ IKANO

We have our school reunion coming up next weekend. Unfortunately I will be in Lumut at the time, but Puan Anita was keen to go. Yes, we went to school together. We were what you might say, childhood sweetheart. Yup! It is sad. We first went out in 1987, got married 1997, then got Idlan in 2004. We decided to enjoy our time in UK first before parenthood. It did not turn out half bad after all. Back to the reunion.

Yup! They brought the cages in

Since I will be able to make it, she will be going with a few of her old friends. You guessed it. New clothes, new bags, new make-up and most importantly, new contact lenses!. So, we went out to IKANO yesterday to get a new pair for her. When we stepped in, Idlan shouted out, “Hey! That’s the bird park in here!”. Apparently, for a couple of weeks, the KL Bird Park was doing a promotion at IKANO. They brought over a fair few of their prized possession and the main foyer were filled with birds inside a makeshift tent. The boys were not very keen to go in, so I was not sure how much we would have had to pay to get in. But if you spent more than RM100 at the centre - which we did - we were entitled to a special discount.

Irfan waiting for it all to cookRaw fish slices before being boiledIdlan contemplating his kind of lunchThe World Cup fever hitting the The CurveWe ended up having lunch there at the steamboat joint down there, then after a quick walk across to The Curve where we parked, it was time to go. Our new maid looked tired from her journey in the day before. We bought her toiletries and the kind then was back home.

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.

Evening Out

This was where they shot the DiGi commercial on TVPuan Anita wanted to order her ‘baju Raya’ for the year, even though Aidilfitri is about 3 months away. She had it all planned and after work, we went over to The Curve for her to have a look at one of the shops there. There were a few baju kurung which caught her eye during previous visit. Since Irfan is now much better from his fever, we decided to have some dinner outside and some fresh air.

Idlan waiting for his pizzaPuan Anita's kerang rebusThe Curve in the eveningThis was a chance to take the 7D out. Decided to take the zoom instead of my customary 50mm f1.4, and try out the higher ISO setting. The output was actually just as expected although I would still prefer the f1.4. All the photos were taken at ISO 3200. Not bad!

Gearing Up

Strolling at The CurveHad to head out to The Curve area yesterday evening to do some last minute shopping. Idlan’s birthday party will be later this afternoon, and for the last few days, I had to go out taking Puan Anita around doing her chores. Everything seemed to be falling into place nicely and InsyaAllah we will have a grand party! 

Irfan said: "I think this is what we should do"First stop was at Mama Min’s swanky new apartment at Armanee Terrace. Very nice duplex units there! Jealous! The cake were delivered but very delicate. On the way back I will have to avoid all the speed bumps and drive at 50 km/h maximum. Ear plugs would be necessary with the honks I will hear from the more impatient drivers behind me later.

There was always time for a quick dodgem. Move!Next, The Curve, for a bit of shopping, then dinner, and more shopping. Puan Anita felt that the goody bags and party packs were pretty light weight still. So, she got some more stuffs to cram in.Diner at Marche, as requested by the birthday boy. Then a stroll. The Curve and the open air area sure looked nice in the evening, although it was still muggy and warm. Sure wish that we live around there but the trouble will be that we will spent too much money shopping. It was already difficult as it was now! 

Irfan still giving his opinionFinally we got everything sorted out. Back home, more wrappings and last minute decorating needed to be done. The party will be from 11, so better get everything sorted out  quick so that there will be no drama in the morning!

Counseling Needed?

Irfan's handy work

While doing some last minute shopping last night, I sat Idlan around the Lego table. I then continued to do my chores. Idlan was sat there with Irfan building with the bricks. Irfan built himself what I thought was age-appropriate ‘tower’ stuff or what not. As for Idlan? Oh! My God! Such a nerd! “Idlan, this is not about separating the colours! And you want to be an architect when you grow up?” Shall with this space!

Idlan started offThe end product ..... Gosh!Should I be concerned about the building he will be designing in the future ..... may be that will be the future trend, you never know!