Struggling with Iwannatravellitis Itch Syndrome

OR

A Wonderful Evening Outing

I am a big Sheila Majid fan and have been following her career for years ever since I first heard the songs from her first album.

If there was a local artist that I would say that I’m a fanatic of, Sheila Majid would definitely be the one.

But I have never been to any of her live performances .. ever .. until this past weekend.

For years, I’ve always regretted not being able to watch my favorite local artist performing live. I remember being so close to going to her “Legenda Concert at Stadium Merdeka” back when I was in KPP only to be foiled by a transportation problems getting to the venue. Her last concert was at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall at KLCC sometime back which again I had to miss because I didn’t have anyone to go with. When I was active in my company dinner organizing committee back in the day, I always had her name on the top of my list of entertainers to invite but we could never seem to get her to come to our function. Years have passed and I’ve actually resigned myself to the possibility that I would not get a chance to see my idol performing live.

When I saw a banner at SultanMuzzafar’s blog that said that she would be performing for the Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) Foundation Charity Benefit, I knew that I finally got my chance. I am a loyal supporter of the IJN Foundation who do good work for people needing expensive heart health care which would be out of reach for them if not for the funding/help provided by the foundation. Last year, at around the same time of the year, they organized a benefit staging of the “Puteri Gunung Ledang – The Musical” at Istana Budaya which I attended with my family. This year the whole family was planning to go on a trip to Indonesia at the same time as when the concert was happening which means that they would not be going.

I was crushed! I really wanted to go but again run into the same old problem of not having someone else to go with. I hate going to concerts alone (which I did once when Richard Marx had his concert in KL ages ago) no only because of my transportation situation but also not having someone to share the occasion with would really suck. Fortunately, this was the new me now, the guy who was no longer the hermit crab living in his own world in the middle of nowhere. I quickly made a list of the people I knew would enjoy a Sheila Majid concert as well as enjoy each other’s company to invite to join me for a night out.

It was made easier for me that my mum was able to secure me the cheapest tickets for the concert at RM100 per seat instead of the normal price of RM150. On of the perks of having relatives working at IJN is not only will you get a chance to attend IJN Foundation events but a secured room at IJN should you need to have a heart operation! With that all set, I sent out txt and Facebook messages out to the people on my list and waited to see who would say yes to the offer. There were some people on my invite list that I really wished that they could go as it would really have made the night more interesting. Fortunately some people did which really made my day since I really wanted to go to the show.

On the day of the show, we made plans to meet up at KLCC to have dinner before going to the show which was being held at the nearby KL Convention Center. I was already there since 4 pm as I had another meeting planned earlier before the guys showed up. We had dinner at the Apartments at KLCC which was located where Shrooms was before. Wasn’t particularly impressed by the food they served but the company was more than worth the time spent there. After dinner, we took a short walk using the connecting tunnel between KLCC and the Convention Center to reach the concert hall.

Our tickets were for the nosebleed section on level 3. As we came into the hall I was quite surprised to see how empty that section was given the time that we came in. I had checked the online ticket website to see ticket availability and it did say that they had sold out for the cheapest tickets to the show. I had imagined that the section would be packed by then but instead I found it to be strangely deserted. I found out later that majority of the seats on our level were purchased by the corporate sponsors who would normally distribute it to their own staff. I’m guessing that somewhere along the line, those tickets did not get distributed out leaving just empty seats around us. It’s a pity seeing all the empty seats that night when I think of the other people trying to get tickets online only to be told that they have sold out.

Our 3 seats were originally at the top left side of the room but thanks to much cajoling from the guys with me that night, we decided to move further down the assigned seating to be closer to the edge to see the stage better. Those who know me knows how hard it was to get me to agree to that. I do not have a thick skin, people! The thought of being caught sitting in a seat not assigned in the ticket that I hold actually mortifies me. But being a night of many first, I decided to throw caution to the wind and move down with the rest of the guys. It turned that eventually the event crew requested that everyone to move down to the second level to fill up seats there but we decided to stay where we were since it had a better view of the stage.

The concert started a bit late as to allow for the arrivals of VIPs which included the Prime Minister and wife. They had a short cheque presentation from corporate sponsors who donated graciously to the cause which was received by the PM. Thankfully there were no grand speeches from any of the VIP that night as people were already grumbling around me about the late start. As the starting strains of “Ku Mohon” start playing over the short presentation of her visit to IJN, I was getting more excited about seeing my favorite artist in action. I didn’t have to wait much longer when she appeared on stage launching into the first song of many that night.

The concert itself was a blast. Everyone around us practically knew the words to all of the song she sang that night and we sang along with her. The guys who I came with were so busy with their cameras, either snapping pictures of the singer or making bootleg copies of the concert performance (hahahah), that I had to check in with them to make sure that they at least were enjoying the show for a view other than the camera’s view finder. At certain points of the concert, all of us were up on our feet (including the PM who we could see from our seats) and dancing to the music. I think that the last time I had actually attempted to move my body is any type of rhythmic activity, Clinton was still the President in the US. It was quite liberating actually to be able to let loose a bit and just dance to celebrate the music that was being performed for us.

Of course I also found out that night that a certain someone I was with that night really has the worst sense of rhythm I have ever seen. I never imagine that I would find someone who sucked it at more than me. Good thing that your charming self more than compensated for the lack of coordinated movement.

Sheila went through 3 dress changes throughout the slightly more than 2 hours concert that night. She sang all of her fan favorites from her earlier albums that went down well with the audience who practically grew up listening to her songs. This was also her first concert in 7 years after her last appearance at Petronas Philharmonic Hall which made it more special for the IJN Foundation as she was willing to come back for their cause. It was clear that she loved the crowd and the energy that she was getting from them as we partied the night away. She did only one encore performance that night but it was for a song that all of us were waiting to hear the whole night. Her performance of “Legenda” accompanied by her fans in the auditorium was a wonderful way to end the concert.

We left the concert hall at almost midnight feeling the buzz from a really enjoyable show. Most of us decided to stop at a nearby eating establishment to get some should-be-avoided post midnight nosh before going back to end the day. It was a wonderful evening outing for me which of course left me losing my voice in the following days after the concert but the experience of seeing Sheila Majid live in concert was worth walking around sounding like a trombone for days. I don’t know when I would get the opportuinity to see her in concert again but at least now I can cross one more item from my list of things that I want to do.

Hiking at Bukit Gasing, PJ

I finally did it!

No .. it’s not that! Or the other thing. Or that thing I was thinking to do .. hmm there are still a lot of things that I have not done yet.

I finally tried hiking!

Thanks to the friend who has been gracious with his repeated invitation, I decided to take up the opportuinity to try a little bit of hiking for myself this past weekend. Honestly I was a bit worried that this particular friend of mine had swore off trying to invite me to join his hiking group given that I have declined his invitation twice before. That’s why I was very grateful that he did which gave me the opportunity to check that activity out in line with the goals that I have set up for myself this year.

First obstacle to overcome was waking up very early in the morning. I am by nature not a morning person. It takes me at least 15 minutes and 3 hits on the snooze button to get me out of bed especially when it’s 5 am in the morning. Good thing that I have packed all that I needed to bring along the night before or else I would definitely have left some things behind that morning. After a quick shower and breakfast, I took a bus to the Asia Jaya LRT station where I was suppose to meet him at 7 am. Fortunately I did not have to wait long for the bus and actually reached the meeting point at 6:45 am.

My friend picked me up not long after and we were on our way to the Bukit Gasing Educational Park which is located in the heart of Petaling Jaya. I have heard of the place before but always thought that it was located outside of KL. I never imagined that such a place existed in the middle of a long established residential area. That just goes to show how much small things like this can be a pleasant surprise for me since I have been living close by the area almost all my life. It took someone from another country to show me that it was there!

We waited for a little bit before the rest of the group arrived at the base of the trekking route. It was just 5 of us that Sunday which consisted of 3 group regulars and 2 newbies, myself and 1 other person, who would be joining them for the first time. I was a bit apprehensive in the beginning since I was not sure what to expect. The last time I went hiking was in Janda Baik Forest Reserve back when I just finished my college prep school and I was definitely in much better shape then than I am now. I was also unsure if the regulars meant that they would be running all the way through the trek route ala the Hash House Harriers which would definitely scare me off.

Thankfully, running was not in the books that day, unless of course one wanted to (not me … no thank you). In deference to the newbies, the group decided to choose the “milder” course that they feel that we could managed on our first time out. Of course, “milder” was quite subjective when it came to this group of people gauging by their fitness levels so I wasn’t that convinced but I was determined to go through it. I would not know my own capabilities if I don’t push myself and this was a golden opportuinity to try it in the safety of a group that I was sure would be looking out for me.

The course started fairly easily at first then became a series of increasingly challenging climbs using both man made steps set in the ground as well as natural steps created by conveniently located rocks and roots. I initially found myself struggling to keep pace with the lead (yeah you … geez you were really moving that morning) but I soon realized plus was told that I didn’t have to. I should go on my own pace and there will be someone bringing up the back so the group didn’t get separated too far. Once I started to get the hang of tromping around in the secondary forest at Bukit Gasing, I found my own pace that I could handle and occasionally push to raise to the next level.

The trek itself was fairly varied. We went up and down through clearly marked paths that was surprisingly was not as slippery that I had thought given the rains that came down the night before. Some of the slopes were fairly easy to go up while there were a few which presented much more of a challenge. The one that I was most excited during the hike about was the one that had an almost 70 degree incline that was the most difficult to go up. I definitely felt the burn in my calves, hamstrings and glutes trying to climb up that steep incline which was much more intense than any workout I had in the gym for the same muscle group.

Needless to say, I was huffing and puffing so loudly that I’m sure that I would scare off any animals within a 2 mile radius of the area with the sounds of my labored breath. I was soaking with sweat from top to toe but I was really enjoying the experience. I was outdoor enjoying the fresh air that I rarely get to and I was in the company of supportive people to always checked back to make sure that you were doing ok. The trek was also filled with the sound of people wishing others “Good Morning” as they pass each other which added to the surreal feeling of it all. We had people of all ages, young and old, all there to enjoy their surroundings and work out a good sweat while doing it. This provided me with a feeling of camaraderie that was unique to the experience which added another layer to be cherished.

When I reached the end of the trek, I found myself feeling both elated that I’ve accomplished something new that morning and hopeful of doing it again sometime soon when I get the chance. I’ve proved to myself that I was again able to do something that I thought I could not and I gained something new from the experience. I would definitely set new goals for myself in terms of pace the next time I go on this hike but I know not to rush it. Maybe do that when I get in better condition and more familiar with the trek. I also met a set of new people that I could add to my list of acquaintances which is always good to do in my book.

After the hike, we walked back to where the cars were parked but not before stopping to watch a whole troop of wild monkeys coming out in search of food by the roadside. We proceeded after that to a nearby mamak place to have breakfast which gave me another opportuinity to bond with the group. Leaving after breakfast that Sunday morning, I was fully convinced that hopefully I would be able to do it again with the great company I had that morning. The whole experience was not only something that I could cross off my list of things to do this year but also an eye opening experience of finding out something that I could enjoy doing on a free weekend.

Unfortunately the Bukit Gasing Educational Park is currently being threaten by developers who planned to clear part of the land for property development. The path that I hike through on that Sunday may not be there for long and everyone should take the opportuinity to enjoy it while it’s still there. Better yet, one could get involved with efforts to conserve the area against developer encroachment which I unfortunately did not get details of how to. I saw some notices at the entrance to the park so I believe that the details on how we can help should be listed there.

My first Sunday hike through Bukit Gasing Educational Park would definitely rank in one of the more memorable things I did in 2008. It’s still early though but I can say that it is still one of the most memorable things I did this month at least. I would definitely recommend it to other who like me initially thought that they would never be able to survive it. You’ll be surprised at what a little bit of determination and support from a great set of people can do for you.

Eye On Malaysia - Ending The Day

We ended the day having tea at the nearby EyeCafe. The menu selection there wasn’t anything to shout about. The brownies they had there was particularly appalling as it tasted more like chocolate cake then a brownie. Good thing that the tiramisu cake that we ordered was fairly good to eat. The prices at the café was somewhat expected of the items that they sell and they had a fairly wide choice of drinks for non-coffee drinkers as well.

We hung around the café until about 6:30pm. The crowd there grew larger as the temperature cooled and the sun began to move lower down the horizon. I think that most people want to go up the “Eye On Malaysia” as the sun began to set and the lights began to come out. As we walked back to where our car was parked, I saw some signs that told us that most of the light and laser shows around the “Eye On Malaysia” actually started around 9pm every night but it was too late for us to wait for.

It was an enjoyable outing and I can finally cross out the “Eye On Malaysia” off my to do things to do before the end of the year. I was initially worried about the crowds but it seems that most people have already had the experience or are not interested to see that view of Kuala Lumpur from high up. If you haven’t and want to, the “Eye On Malaysia” is opened daily but only until 31st Dec.

(EyeCafe near the entrance)

(My mango slurry and a so call artistic shot attempt)

(Parting shot when they opened the roof of the cafe as the sun went down)

Eye On Malaysia - Architecture

I love looking at the architecture of the “Eye On Malaysia”. A lot of clean strong lines going off to the distance in perspective. It’s actually calming to me to see repeated patterns like the way the beams cross here. I guess that having something so ordered to look out was quite relaxing to me.

(My favorite picture of the day)

(Pic of the gondola/viewing pod)

(Center of the Eye On Malaysia)

(From the inside looking out)

Eye On Malaysia - Inside Looking Out

We got to spend about 15 minutes (I think since I wasn’t looking at the watch) in the viewing pod as it revolved around 5 times. The pod did stop a few times in the revolution while they let people who had been in their earlier get off at the base. There was a little swaying of the pod when that happened so it might freak out people who are afraid to go up there in the first place. Thankfully I have conquered my fear of heights (for the most part) and it didn’t really affect me as much as it would a few years ago. I was actually a bit disappointed that the viewing pod did not have a glass bottom so we can see straight down like the cable car that they have in Langkawi.

Thanks to the fairly clear weather, we could see quite a distance away towards KL and surrounding areas that afternoon. I guess that the view would even be more spectacular at night when the city comes alive with lights. I could not convinced the rest to come at night that weekend so I had to make do with an afternoon trip. Other than the KL city center and the suburb sprawl on the opposite side, there wasn’t really much to look at while we were up there. I actually like the view from Menara KL better since one can see a lot more from the top of the tower.

(KL City View)

(Iconic KL from inside the viewing pod)

(Areas surrounding Taman Tasik Titiwangsa)

(Fountains in the lake)

Eye On Malaysia - Supporting Structures

We reached Taman Tasik Titiwangsa at about 4:30pm was lucky to get a parking space quite painlessly given the amount of people at the part last weekend. Other than visit to Restoran Nelayan, it has been ages since I was at the lake side proper. I think the last time I was there involved me messing around in big fiberglass swan paddle boats in the lake around the age of 8. I can’t really tell if there has been a lot changes to the surroundings since then.

Surprisingly, we didn’t actually need to wait long at all to buy tickets as it seems that the crowd was less that I was expecting given that it was the school holidays. I guess that we were still quite early in the day and it was still fairly warm out. We went up to the ticketing booth and paid our tickets (RM15 for adults, ½ price for seniors and children under 12) and waited at the lane for about 5 minutes before we were ushered into our viewing pod/gondola.

(On approach to ticketing boot)

(The ticketing booth)

(The short queue to wait our turn entering the viewing pods)

(Eye On Malaysia - Control Room)

Eye On Malaysia - Exterior

The “Eye On Malaysia” installation at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, KL has been something that I’ve been planning to go to but always postponing it for one reason or another. Since it will be ending at the end of Dec, I decided to go there with my parents, sister and nephew to experience it for ourselves last weekend.

We made it an afternoon outing for us and had quite an enjoyable time. I took some pictures using my mum’s Kodak EasyShare C643 just to record the moment and mess around with a camera. Can’t wait to get my own camera at the end of the year!

Some exterior shots of the “Eye On Malaysia” from the trip

(Shots of the Eye from across the Tasik Titiwangsa)

(On approach to the base of the Eye)

(Istana Budaya from Tasik Titiwangsa and Base of the Eye)

30 Minutes to Midnight

I normally finish at the gym at about 11:30pm on my weekday schedule and would walk past the closed shops at Sunway Pyramid on my way back. The place is not actually deserted as there are many workers putting up things in preparation of the new wing opening later this year. They had put up new coats of paint everywhere and had new lighting systems installed overhead. For the past 2 weeks, I have been observing how busy it is at Sunway Pyramid after hours. It’s a pity that I can’t really hang around long to see more of what they are doing to the mall but I guess I would get my chance to see it when the new wing opens.

Being able to walk in the mall after closing gives me a different view of the place. There is definitely a different vibe to the surroundings since what was usually filled with shoppers had turned silent with only the occasional hum of machine running in the background as company. At times it felt like you had the mall all to yourself except that none of the shops were opened and none of the escalators worked. The feeling of solitude really helped to center myself after each gym session.

The solitary walk allows me a moment of reflection on what I had done in the day and what I need to do tomorrow. It also allows me to focus on my accomplishments at the gym that day and what I need to do to top that the next time I’m there. I am still getting a hang of things there but I’m fairly certain that I’m there for the long run. It’s going to be one of those things that I hope not to turn into just another chore to do but instead a part of my daily routine that would help me wind down after a day’s work.

God knows that there are days that I really need that ….

Weekend Graduation

Last Saturday, I got roped in to accompany my mother to my youngest brother’s diploma convocation ceremony at Putrajaya International Convention Center. My father was suppose to go with her but his production schedule in Terengganu clashed with the convocation date so my mum was left with an extra invite to the event. So instead of wasting the other invite, I decide to go with them and keep my mum company during the function. First stop for us however was a shopping detour as my brother had delayed buying a dress shirt for his graduation suit until the night before the ceremony. Good thing that he was able to find a shirt and tie that he liked at Sunway Pyramid or else we would have to go around for a bit to find his shirt.

Saturday morning started really early as in 5 am early in the morning! The 3 of us had to leave Selayang by 6am to reach Putrajaya by 7:30am which was when the graduating students were requested to assembled. I can’t imagine how early the day would have started for people who lived further than us which I imagine would be there as well. A quick breakfast of coffee and donuts, we were on our way after making sure that my brother had everything he needed for the ceremony. He and my mum had already attended the convocation rehearsals the day before so they already had a checklist of items to bring.

Traffic was not as bad as it could have been and for an added treat, we took the SMART tunnel route to Putrajaya. It was a treat for me as I have never been through it before and I can finally check that off the list of things to do in KL. The tunnel was totally deserted that early in the morning so the journey was smooth sailing until we came out the other end near Sg. Besi air field. At RM 2 per toll entry, I wondered why more people did not use the tunnel considering the traffic we say on the other end traveling towards Sg. Besi highway.

We reached the PICC on schedule and proceeded to the meeting area at the ground floor lobby where my brother waited for some of his diploma course mates. I noticed that most of the people graduating that day choose to wear a suit and tie ensemble under their graduation robes rather than the more traditional Baju Melayu and Samping set. According to my brother they were given the choice to select either unlike the time I graduated from KPP where we were only allow to attend our convo in a black Baju Melayu and Samping attire. I guess that it made sense to do so then as we also did not have to wear graduation gowns and mortarboards in that ceremony. Come to think of it, the ceremony that I went to then wasn’t technically a graduation ceremony as I had 2 years still to complete after leaving KPP.

At about 8:30am, all guest were escorted by the graduating student to take their seats at the plenary hall. Our seats were way up on the 3 or 4th level so it was quite a ways up. The advantage of that was that it gave me a chance so see the layout of PICC for myself having only been on the lower grounds on my previous visits. The topmost floor where our seats were offered a great view of Putrajaya and the surrounding area. It was a pity that the sky was a bit overcast on that day or else I think we might even be able to see the towers in KL from where we were standing. From where we stood, we could also see the spot where they were setting up for the fireworks for the International Fireworks Festival that was starting later during that day. At first we were considering to come back after dark to see the fireworks there but decided against as we weren’t too keen to be stuck in the jam coming back afterwards.

Once we were in our seats in the assigned area, the ceremony begun with the graduates procession to their seating area followed by the college staff and dignitaries. There were close to 2000 graduates receiving their graduation letters for both diploma and degree programs on that day. Even with the shorten speeches from the top people from the college, the whole event took almost 4 hours to complete. This was a far cry from my KPP ceremony that took only about 2 hours if I recalled correctly. I guess my degree graduation at UW-Madison might take as long considering we had a big class the year I graduated. I’m just guessing since I did not attend my own graduation ceremony since I was too busy recovering for a bout of partying the night before.

I guess technically, I have not gone through a graduation ceremony myself. I was quite surprised at the amount of protocols surrounding the ceremony which I assumed was actually less then the more established local universities since they convocation ceremony dragged on over a few days. One that stood out for me was that there was not to be any clapping from the audience until the end of the ceremony when all the graduates received their graduation papers which I thought was a bit strange. I’m guessing that it made sense seeing that no one expected the audience to clap for every graduate that they called up individually to the stage. Audiences were also reminded to remain in their seats during the whole ceremony which quite a few choose to ignore causing some level of distractions during the event. Good thing that they were strict about not letting any children into the hall or else it could be worse.

Having sat in the auditorium for almost 4 hours, we both came out needed a bio break and refreshments. Being only able to get one of the two since the food were all taken by people who choose to leave the hall earlier than the should have, we decide to go down to the lobby to meet up with my brother instead to plan where we were to have lunch. He was already there trying to get flowers for his girlfriend who was also graduating in the same ceremony. Say what you may, the people selling those flower bouquets and graduation teddys even with the inflated prices did really brisk business on that day. My brother was just too late seeing that much of the offerings have been sold out so he had to settle for an overpriced bouquet of chocolates.

Then there was the picture taking sessions. Being someone who prefers being behind the camera rather than in front of one, I don’t really understand the need to taking numerous pictures of yourself for any occasion. I was standing there watching this one family taking pictures individually with the graduating person and then proceeded to take group photos with him. All in all they must have taken almost 70 pictures (I was bored enough waiting for my brother to finish with his friends to count it) of the same person at the same location. I guess so people really want to capture the moment on camera but the thought of taking that many pictures just sent me shuddering. I think I only took 1 picture at my KPP ceremony with my then girlfriend and it was just only because she wanted it.

When my brother finally got done with his pictures and friends, we decide to get a late lunch at the Alamanda food court before going back home at about 4pm. It was a really long day and I was really looking forward to end it without any more delay. I don’t think that I would want to sit through something like that again anytime soon if I can avoid it. Still it was not all a waste as I did manage to finish reading my copy of the last Harry Potter book while waiting for the event to finish. I guess it beats just lounging around the house aimlessly.

Post Alumni Dinner Write-up

The dinner didn’t start too well for me last night.

The invitation stated that guest should be arriving beginning at 7pm but at 6 pm I was still stuck at the office trying to square away the last things that I had to do for the day. I had called my friend who will be going to the dinner with me to confirm that he will be coming to pick me up at 7:30pm so I was really running out of time. Rushed back as fast as I could and took a quick shower before getting dressed in my borrowed batik shirt by 7:45pm. There was no sight yet of my ride so I gave him a call to check out what was happening. Turned out that he got stuck in traffic and had only reached home from work. He was in the middle of getting ready and would call me when he reached my apartment.

It would be close to 8:30 pm when he reached my place and we left in a hurry hoping that we would not be too late for the function. It was lucky that my friend had been to the Putrajaya International Convention Center many times before so he knew the way. If it was up to me to navigate the way then we night not even be able to find the place. Being that it was my first time being in Putrajaya, I had to stop my worrying for a while to take in the impressive layout out there which reminded me of Washington DC that I’ve seen in pictures. Unfortunately we were already running late so there was not time to take the scenic route.

We finally reached the PICC at about 9pm and luckily able to find a parking spot not far from the lobby entrance. When we got down the escalators to the convention floor, we met one of my table mates who happened to be one of the dinner committee members. He helped us find our table since we did not get to see the seating chart. Of course getting escorted in by a committee when the function was already under way meant we looked like a late comer VIP being showed to their table. Trust me to always be the one who was not only fashionable late but has to make the grandest entrance possible.

The guys at table that night was mostly those that I have stayed in touch with so we didn’t really have a lot to catch up with other than recent developments. We talked for a bit while waiting for the boring speeches to be over and done with. One advantage of coming later was that I skipped all the VIP speeches that would normally drone on for at least an hour at the beginning of the function. Unfortunately coming later also meant that I missed out on the starters that they served during the speeches. Good thing that food was served not too long after I came.

Food wasn’t anything to shout about. It was a nasi minyak set with all the trimmings all served in one go to each tables. Since I was watching what I take for dinner, I only had half serving of rice with a small piece of beef rendang and loads of the mix veg dish that they served. We caught up with everyone’s latest news while dinner which was good since we don’t really get to call up each other very often. When it came to my news, first thing that they noticed was the weight that I’ve lost recently (yay!) which I have to admit was a ego booster for me considering that half the people at my table were the jocks at school back then who have now let their bodies go to pot.

They had the Kombo RTM band playing during dinner which was OK considering most of the songs were oldies. One thing about these alumni gatherings is that almost no one was paying attention to the band as everyone was focused on catching up with each other. A few of us were mingling around from table to table trying to find people that we remembered from our time at school. Since there were 3 alumni’s there at the dinner, this was not an easy task but thankfully they put different colored napkins on each alumni tables so we knew which table were boys from our school. Saw some of the seniors that I knew from my monthly alumni gatherings as well as a few of my juniors who have all grown out of the gawky teenager phase I last saw them in.

I also got to see a few of my teachers. Some didn’t really remember me since I wasn’t that good in their classes especially all my Math teachers who were all there that night. Others recognized me immediately on sight because I stood out in their classes the year I was there. My old Form 5 class teacher, who was practically our adopted mother for our class that year, immediately asked if I was already married since it was the same question she asked every time I see her in these function. She said that every time she asked me that question, she is hoping that I would finally give her a different than I always do. I was also touched that my old English teacher asked me if I was still writing and if I ever finished the screenplay that I always talked about in her English class. I actually forgotten about that but I did tell her I eventually did write a screenplay but not for the story that we used to discuss about all those years ago.

As the night continued, we were also on the look out for the people from our batch from the STAR and STF schools. One of my friends in particular had got the news that his old girlfriend was coming to the dinner and he wanted to see if he could still recognize her after 17 years. Dragging me along to be his wingman, we went around to see if any of the STF girls looked remotely recognizable but of course this was next to impossible for us. For one thing, the last time we saw the STF girls from our batch, they were just girls who are now grown women who would definitely looked way different from they were 17 years ago. The other thing hindering us was that I was not the best person at remembering name and faces especially when the STF girls that we knew weren’t really on my high priority list back then for obvious reasons. Despite his efforts, my friend went home empty handed that night especially after we were told that the girls from our batch did not attend the dinner.

M. Nasir came on stage towards the end of the night and I’m guessing that he doesn’t get to perform at alumni dinner very often. It was slightly funny seeing him trying to work the crowd when all they were interested in was to talk to each other. Fortunately for him, the crowd warmed up to him especially when he started to sing his older songs which some of use remembered singing to when we were at school. I wondered if anyone warned him about how difficult the crowd would be. Those of us who are the products of boarding school might be able to imaging how the crowd was once they really got started. Suddenly all the titles and age difference went out the door and there we were sing along at the top of our voices like a bunch of 17 year old at a concert. It was good to know that the habit of reverting back being like the boys we were at 17 during alumni gatherings were not exclusive to my school’s alumni!

The night ended with the tradition of us taking pictures of ourselves with the dinner backdrop to commemorate the occasion. I had brought the camera that I borrowed from my mum but the batteries that I had in it went dead even after I charged it so I went away without being able to take any pictures myself. We stayed around to mingle a little more at the souvenirs stand before finally going our separate ways sometime around midnight. As I went past all the lighted buildings at the main Putrajaya road, I keep thinking about the fun night that I just had and how just by the act of being together with good friends can easily cheer a person up. I was also thinking that I would definitely want to come back to Putrajaya at night once I have my own camera to capture the architecturally interesting buildings that they have all lighted up there.

All it all, it was an evening well spent.

Alumni Dinner

Going to the alumni dinner tonight to celebrate my secondary school's 50th anniversary. Will blog about it afterwards.

Event: MAJLIS MAKAN MALAM PERDANA - Perintis Kecemerlangan Warisan Kegemilangan

Date: 9 August 2007 (Thursday)
Time: 7.00pm-11:00pm
Venue: Putrajaya Convention Center, Putrajaya

Royal Guest:
KDYTM Tengku Puan Pahang, Tunku Hajjah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj (SKTF Patron)

Guests of Honor:
YAB DPM Dato' Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak and wife Dato' Seri Rosmah Mansor

VVIP Guests:
Dato' Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein + Datin,
Datuk Rais Yatim + Datin
Datuk Abd Aziz Shamsudin + Datin
Tan Sri Isa Samad

Alumni Presidents:
Datuk Dr Awang Adek (STAR) + Datin
Datuk Dr Abd Latif Ahmad (SDAR) + Datin
Puan Mariamah Mohamed (STF) + Spouse

MMMP Chairman: Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya (STAR)

Entertainer: M Nasir

Dress Code: Baju Kurung/Kebaya (Ladies), Batik Shirt (Gents)

Corporate Table Price: RM5000/table of 10
Alumni Table Price: RM2000/table of 10

A 3 Day Weekend

I had planned to spend Saturday at home most probably glued to the PS2 controller trying to finish up my already 150 plus hours of Final Fantasy XII. Fortunately for me, something else came up quite early in the morning. At around 9 am, my mum called up to tell me that my sister finally got an on-campus dorm after her successful appeal. Having started the new semester at college without on-campus living arrangement was quite a burden for her since she had to commute from my parents place in Selayang to Shah Alam every day. It was so dire that they actually had made plans for her to stay with me in Sunway should the university rejected her appeal for on-campus living quarters. For obvious reasons, that arrangement would seriously throw a monkey wrench in my living arrangements.

Fortunate for me, my sister got her room at the same dorms that she was in last semester and was moving in on that Saturday. Since they were heading my way, my mum called me up to see if I would be able to meet up with them for lunch and shopping that day. Since I didn’t really have anything else better planned, I agreed and the came to pick me up at around 11:30am. First stop was for lunch at Subang Parade since my youngest brother was also looking for a ready made suit for his convocation ceremony. We had lunch at Secret Recipe and catch up with the latest news of the family. We hit the stores after lunch to look for the suit that fit my brother.

My youngest brother is the tallest and the skinniest of all of us in the family. Shopping for clothes for him has always been an adventure as it’s hard to find something that fit him. In fact that’s a trait that everyone in the family shared, we would always have problems finding a particular item of clothing that fit us. For me it’s always been pants. Unless they are tailored, I could never find a pair of pants that fit me comfortably. Since he needed the suit in short notice and under a limited budget, getting one tailored for himself was out of the question. The first shop that we went didn’t have any suit small enough for his size. We then went to Subang Parade Parkson Grand where there were more suits but the closest that we found was too short in the sleeves.

From Subang Parade, we went to Sunway Pyramid in search of a suit that fit my brother. We finally found one at the one of the boutiques there at a fairly reasonable price of RM410 for suit and pants combo. My brother wanted to find a shirt for himself so he’s budgeting for another RM150 for that. I have to say that it was much cheaper than my first suit that I paid almost RM 1000 for but only wore twice before I got too fat to fit into it. Hopefully my brother will have better luck with his. I have to say that it was a bit surreal helping my youngest brother, who I remember having to change his diapers when he was a baby, pick out his first suit. It’s just one of those milestones that one would think you would only go through when you have children of your own. Guess I’m lucky that I will get to go through the experience twice in my life.

For Sunday morning, I had an inter alumni bowling tournament to go to at Sunway Pyramid. Since I suck at all sports including bowling, I was not taking part in the tournament but was then to lend my support to my alumni team. Learning my lesson from last time, I purposely went about ½ hour after it started so I can avoid having to explain why I could not be on their team if they were short of bowlers. I can hardly break 80 per game when I bowl for fun and there was no way I am going to embarrass myself bowling with people who have triple digit bowling averages in a competition setting. What I could do however was to show up and give me support to the team since it was close by to where I stayed.

Our team didn’t do so well considering they only had 1 practice game before while the other teams was sending people who bowled weekly as a hobby. Our team did however walked away with the most lucky draw winners having 5 out of 8 lucky draws going to the people to my alumni’s team. We joked that the reason for our alumni getting so many lucky draws was that it was ex-TKCian and STF alumni pulling out the slips for the lucky draw. Our school have long histories with those two all girls boarding schools ! I stayed around for the refreshment that was provided and talked a bit with the boys about our upcoming joint 3 boarding school 50 years celebration dinner next month. While we all agreed that the table price was quite steep, it was not something that we would miss since it was a once in a lifetime event.

The bowling tournament ended around 1 pm and I had my weekly groceries to pick up at the supermarket. Since I did my groceries there weekly, I didn’t really have a lot to buy and further more buying too much would be a bother to carry all the way home without a car. Having given up on heavy dinners nowadays, most of my groceries consist of yogurt and bread for the week anyway. I did pick up a fitted sheet for my sofa bed at home which I’m still trying to get used to even as I type this. I don’t really know what got over me but I somehow decided that it might be a good idea to cover up my maroon sofa bed with a banana green colored bed sheet! I now have this bright green thing in the middle of my cramped living room that it is really hard not to notice. I guessed it was better than my first choice of a canary yellow bed sheet.

Today was my monthly Monday off day. I always try to one get in once a month since I had to go and do my banking since they stopped opening banks during the weekend. Things has been much better since Hong Leong bank put in a cash deposit machine in their Sunway branch. It was much more convenient to use it and not have to queue up to pay my card bill at the counter. I also dropped by my Maybank branch to check on the status of my property bank loan which unfortunately is still under their legal department review. I’m getting quite worried with the slow progress but there is nothing that I could do other than wait for them to complete processing it.

The other thing that I went out looking for is the new Harry Potter book. I had decided not to reserve my copy at the Sunway MPH as they were selling them for RM109 per copy when you can get the same copy at Carrefour Subang for RM 69. The difference was large enough for me to get it from Carrefour instead. Unfortunately they told me that they sold out all their copies within 1 hour of opening their Harry Potter display on Saturday morning. They didn’t tell me when they were expecting fresh stocks for the book but they would have it eventually. As much as I’m dying to read the last book of the series, I guess I have to wait till they have it at Carrefour again. Even if I wanted to pay the RM 40 difference, I doubt that I could get a copy of the book in KL now. I wouldn’t be surprised that they sold out everywhere in KL.

Came back home thankful that it did not rained today since I had left my washing out to dry after getting drenched in yesterday’s rains. Messed around with the laptop for a while before working out for about 1 ½ hours today with the exercise machine at home. The diet and work outs have really helped me control my blood pressure. A recent check had me at 145/95 now from a high of 196/115 and this was just a result of diet with moderate exercise. I know my doctor would be so happy for me as he has long wondered how on earth I was able to walk around with that high a blood pressure I had before without bursting a blood vessel every time I sneezed. I’m still at borderline hypertension levels with the latest reading but at least I’m on the right road to beat it.

As you can see, my weekends are not at all exciting unlike some people’s weekend. Always been a homebody and I guess I will always be one.

Facelift at the Old Stomping Grounds

Took some time out on Sunday for myself to check out the recent changes at Sunway Pyramid. Having just recovered from a particularly embarrassing affliction that plagued me this past week, I was more than looking forward to get out of the house and enjoy some “me” time before I had to start work again on Monday. Of course being a weekend, my first stop was the newly renovated TGV cinemas for the latest Harry Potter film.

I’ve always loved going to the cinemas at Sunway Pyramid. Being so close to my apartment, I have no trouble getting there on time to catch the early bird ticket specials which means that I only pay RM 8 for the usual RM 11 tickets for the first showings of the day. Online booking also meant that I just need to walk up to the booking counters to collect my tickets. So when they close most of the cinemas for renovations a few months ago, I was fairly disappointed. For one it meant that I had to go elsewhere less convenient for my movie fix.

Having had to give away my free tickets to the Harry Potter movie on last Thursday because of my delicate affliction, I decided to take the chance and see if the renovations to the cinema at Sunway Pyramid were completed. I wasn’t so sure about what to expect but since they were taking online bookings for the tickets, I assumed that the cinema halls were at least in somewhat usable conditions. When I arrived at the cinema, the first difference that I noticed was that I had to take the escalators up 1 more floor than before to get to the ticket office.

The old ticket office had a higher ceiling compared to the new one. Coupled with the low lighting in the place, the new cinema lobby did feel slightly claustrophobic. I also missed the big screens that showed the movie trailers which they had before. The smaller screens that they have now were just placed too far off from where people were queuing to watch while they waited their turn to buy their tickets. I did, however, appreciate the new ticket office displays that were set right in front of the customer because it made it easier to select the seats you want. TGV Sunway also now offer Couple’s Seats which I found to be hilarious since I have just recently learnt that they existed at all. Just goes to show that I normally watch movies by myself and even if I went with someone else, snuggling during a movie might be too distracting. Of course, if it were with the right person …

They had 12 cinema halls at the newly renovated TGV Sunway but I’m not too sure if all were opened now. The one I went to was cinema hall 3 which was a medium size hall with stadium style seating much like the one they have in the Cathy Cineleisure cinema at Damansara. One advantage of this new setup is that practically everyone had a clear view of the screen without have someone’s head block the view. The row I was in, for example, had almost an eye level view of the screen which made the movie experience more enjoyable. I did wished that they had slightly higher backed seating as the one that they have now were a bit low for people like me who like to scoot lower into the seat when we are watching the movie. There were ample leg room but the thought of being that close to someone’s feet due to the steep incline of the seating was a bit disconcerting. All in all, I liked what they did with the TGV renovation and happy to come back again to my old stomping grounds for my movie fix.

After the movie, I decided to check out the newly reopened Parkson Grand departmental store at Sunway. They just reopened last weekend after being closed for renovation and I was in the market for some new work clothes so I decided to check them out. I don’t know if this was a new direction from Parkson but they decided to go more upmarket when they renovated the place. The new Sunway Parkson Grand looked almost the same at the one they had in Subang Parade and KLCC. The merchandise that they carried were equally on the more upmarket side. Gone were the RM 69.90 selections what made up almost all my work clothes wardrobe and instead they were selling branded dress shirts made out of Egyptian cotton at RM 250 per piece. Personally if I had to pay that amount of money for a shirt, I would rather have it tailored made and double stitched by a personal tailor.

I don’t know if it’s just me but what is the deal with stripes on a business dress shirt? What happened to wearing just one color for a dress shirt? Am I that behind in terms of fashion? It seemed that the store only had white shirts with colored horizontal stripes in a multitude of strip width. I have been wearing stripes only on casual shirts for as long as I can remember so the thought of wearing them as a business dress shirt was a bit hard to warp around my head. I left the men’s department feeling fully bewildered by the changes and the realization that I may not shop there any more since their merchandise was not what I am accustomed to. I’ve got to find somewhere else to buy my solid colored dress shirts from.

The California Fitness gym at Sunway was still under construction but according to the staff at the sign up booth, it should be opened to members sometime next month. Of all the facelifts at Sunway Pyramid, that would be the one I’m looking forward to most.

Sunday, Happy Sunday - Amcorp Mall Flea Market

I have always been fascinated by flea markets. The thought of uncovering that one piece of treasure amidst a sea of junk have always been life long fantasy of mine. A student of history and totally a busybody by nature, I have always been intrigued by the story behind each item that I see on a seller’s table in a flea market. I could spend hours contentedly spinning tales in my head of the item’s history and what stories that it might have gone through. Unfortunately for me, I don’t get many chances to indulge in my own “treasure” hunting adventure in flea markets as often as I would like to. Financial considerations aside, I simply don’t make the time to go to them even when I know where they were held.

I made an exception to the rule last Sunday by finally dragging my sorry self to the weekend flea market at Amcorp Mall. While I have lived in KL for almost the entirety of my life, I have to admit that I have never stepped foot into the mall. If it was not for a fellow blogger’s blog entry about the flea market there and a chance invitation by another blogger to see a movie at the Cineplex there sometime back, I would have never known what was available there. That just goes to show that I don’t go out a lot and when I do it would inevitably be to the same places time and time again.

Since I had planned to watch the latest Fantastic Four sequel and was not feeling up to the now customary hour long queues at KLCC TGV for tickets, I decided to watch it at the Amcorp Mall Cineplex instead. While the place was not as good as TGV at KLCC or Sunway, you do get what you pay for with the lower ticket prices. I guess it would also be a good place to bring kids and older people since they do offer discounted tickets for children under 12 and senior citizens. At least I know where to take the whole family the next time we all agree on one movie to watch.

Anyway, since I was planning to watch the movie there I decided to check out the weekend flea market as well. Waking up early on a Sunday (for once), I got ready and left the house at about 9am. I wasn’t sure how early the flea market started but I was hedging my bets that since the malls don’t usually open before 10am, they won’t be anyone there before then. Unless of course you count the senior citizens who I see sometimes doing their walks in a mall before they open like they do in Subang Parade.

Since I did have time to kill, I stopped at the mamak place nearby for breakfast before making a move to the Amcorp mall. A bus trip to the Kelana Jaya Putra LRT station and then a short LRT trip to the Taman Jaya stop brought me within the stones throw from Amcorp Mall. As I walked down the street towards the mall, I was struck by the number of times that I have been in and around the area and yet have never been to the mall itself. I knew it was there but it never crossed my mind to stop and explore it myself until that day.

The sellers were just setting up for the day when I arrived some time around 10 am. Most had not unpack their stuff yet so I took my time to walk around the 4 floor mall to figure out the lay of the land. There wasn’t really a system of what kind of items were at which floor so it was nice to have to look though all the tables. I always like to come early to flea markets so I can have first pick of the merchandise if I saw anything interesting.

A lot of the items on sale in the Sunday flea market at Amcorp Mall seemed to be either surplus inventory from shops, old vinyl records, personal collections of knickknacks or homemade items. I saw quite a few items that I wished that I could buy but didn’t because being the pack rat that I am, I just know will end up hording it for no good reason. Plates with old designs like the one you used to see in the old Chinese kopitiams were a particular weakness of mine which just happened to be plentiful there for sale. The only way that I could stop myself from buying them was the thought of having to lug those plates on the LRT and bus before I could reach home to enjoy them. That and the thought that I would not be able to stop at getting just one once I start. There were also some brass items that I knew that my mother would go nuts over if she saw them so I know that I have to get my mum to come over one Sunday morning as well.

The other reason of coming to the Amcorp Mall Sunday flea market was to check out if anyone there sold any comics. If there was anything that I look forward to most in a flea market was finding someone selling good condition comic books from the 70’s or earlier. Of course in Malaysia, those comics are hard to come by because they were either in too sad a shape due to our tropical weather or too priceless for the owner to sell in a flea market. The thought of finding someone who might be selling it in this flea market was something that I was really looking forward to. I actually found someone who did from his website a few days before so I made sure that I try to track him down that Sunday I was there.

Front Chee (website : www.manymanymuch.com/ctc) was the only seller there who was selling comics. A comics collector himself, he has been trading comics at the flea market for quite some time. He even takes consignments from other collectors who are looking of offload their collection to make up space for new comics. I actually spent quite sometime talking to him as he set up his table with the comics that he brought with him that day. Unfortunately none of them really caught my eye but there were a few noteworthy issues that comic collectors might want to get for themselves if they don’t already have it. Most of the comics that he had that day were from the late 70’s/early 80’s from Good to Very Fine conditions.

Talking with him was actually enjoyable as he has quite some experience with the crowd and the comics that he sells. He gave me a few pointers about the prices that he had to set for the comics that he sells there and the type of buyers that he met at the flea market. Considering that I have almost 2 rooms full of comics that I have been accumulating for the past 25 odd years, I would definitely make it a point to get in touch with him to see if he could take them off my hands. That is of course after convincing myself to let go of my most prized possession.

Last Sunday’s walk through the Amcorp Mall flea market was more of a recon mission for future visits. I know that I will have to bring my mum to it in the near future and I have some items that I have already set my heart on buying once I get paid at the end of the month. It was a definitely enjoyable Sunday morning outing for me made all the better when I finally found a copy of Anderson Cooper ‘s “Dispatches from the Edge” book that I have been searching for ages. What was even better was that I got the book at more than half the original price at one of the surplus book shops there. It was my lucky find of the trip and hopefully the start of more lucky find there in the future.