This is still my favorite building in KL.

Still!

I didn't go back for Raya Haji but I contributed to family annual qurban.

My brother sent me this via mms - my part of the Haj feast.

His message: Lembu mu aku sembelih.

This is my lembu I share with my brother - half half.

SEK YUAN RESTAURANT ON JALAN PUDU

Really old school - Art Deco architecture.

It was THE restaurant during its younger days.

I don't think it has changed much since they open it. It is an institution in Jalan Pudu community, still highly patronized.

The entrance

View from the floor

Kerepek Udang boy

News paper uncle

DAP uncle - selling ROCKET paper

Auntie - waitress

Uncle - proprietor (I think)

I don't know what this guy is selling

Ancient

View from the window

BRONDONG QUALIFIED AND TO THE SPA

David told me that the Brondong is qualified to participatate in the CBT Historic Car Concours 2010”, 21 November 2010 – this Sunday!

Venue: Matrade Building - Jalan Duta

Good news.

To be selected for the Concours is already an achievement.

Brondong will be in the 1960’s classic car category. Will be competing with the Morris Minors and MGs.

Hope Brondong will win something.

Davis was kind enough to come over to my house and drive Brodong to the beauty spa for touchups.

Wish him luck!

SEMALAM DI KUALA LUMPUR

I decided not to join my family to celebrate Aidil Adha this year. Most of them (not all) are congregating in Lumut, Perak. My sister lives there.

I was bored after dinner. The weather wa s perfect, in fact it was rather cold on the way back.

I reached KLCC almost midnight.

Before I managed to set up the tripod he lights were off. So it’s kind of a dark (KLCC) subject.

I like the moon and the thin cloud foration.

With speed priority for 15 seconds, I got this:

Suggestion to the management of KLCC - you guys should switch off the lights LATER during holidays and celebration - Hari Raya, Chineses New Year, Deepavali, Christmas, New Year of during Formula 1 week.

Its our icon.

I recently threw a little house warming after being demanded several times by my close friends.

I managed to fit 20 people and it was really fun.

HJ and TF cooked lotsa food including roasted leh of lamb and lasagna and the rest brought drinks!

It was a fun night until the guards called because they got a complain from the neighbor. Can’t blame them as we were very noisy and it was way past midnight.

Once we got the first complained, we all moved to my home office which face the other side of the house and we could continue partying, a bit more quietly.

That didn’t stop Nan Sals to make her Barbarran moves.

What a great party with great friends!

“CBT Historic Car Concours 2010”

Dear Andrew,

I would like to participate in the upcoming concourse.

My car detail is as follows:

CAR MAKE: FIAT

MODEL: 600D

CAPACITY: 767 CC

YEAR MANUFACTURED: 1966

attached are some photos of the car.

Should you need further clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact me at 012 xxx xxxx

Regards

M

wish me luck!

Dear Sir,

Cars, Bikes & Trucks is organizing “CBT Historic Car Concours 2010”,
scheduled for the 21st November 2010.

The event will be held in conjunction with the inaugural Car of The
Year (COTY) Carnival which is jointly hosted by The New Straits Times
and Maybank at the picturesque Martrade Building off Jalan Duta in
Kuala Lumpur during the weekend of 20th and 21st November.

This Vintage and Classic Car show will feature not only a Concours for
vintage and classics of all makes but also an anniversary celebration
of two famed automotive marques - Jaguar and Alfa Romeo.

This year, Jaguar celebrates 75 years of its existence while Alfa
Romeo proudly reaches the one century mark.

The three tier Concours would take place at the horseshoe shaped
outdoor exhibition area ( in between the entrance to the building and
the Amphitheatre) from 9am to 5pm Sunday, 21st November.

Due to space constraints, we will have to limit the number of cars in
the all make category to accommodate additional vehicle entries for the
Jaguar and Alfa Romeo sections.

As this would be the first all Jaguar Concours in the country, we hope
to secure at least one each of all models in the range of Jaguar
automobiles. The E-Type would be judged separately to mark the model's
50th anniversary. Likewise, we aspire to feature a wide selection of
Alfas too.

Vintage and Classic car owners would have to submit their entries by
email to Andrew Suresh at cars@nstp.com.my or
suresh.andrew@gmail.com or by phone (016-338 0779) latest
by 15th November 2010. Simply send us
pictures of your car (front, side, rear, interior and engine bay)
along with basic details like make, model, year of make, registration
plate number, owner’s full name and contact numbers.

All cars must be taxed, in original and roadworthy condition.

All applications will be subject to a selection process by the CBT
Organising Committee.

36 exposures only – nothing more, nothing less.

Some people might not understand why do one go back to non digital photography. I am not really a purist, nor would I give up my digital Nikon and Leica babies and their wonderful lenses.

No way.

However, once in a while I like to flirt with my non digital skill again to crop the surrounding into black and white images on films.

While my little made in Germany D-Lux 4 pocket camera refines my skills by pushing the functions to the limit as if it was a DSLR with immediate response, the non digital SLR with films I have been slugging around teaches me to be more disciplined rather than being trigger happy. With digitals, I acted (sometimes) like a cowboy with a machine-gun.

Not good!

My Nikon F601M is one of the last few SLR produced by Nikon before the industry quantum leaped into the digital world – the whole industry has been revolutionized – even people’s behavior.

I feel like going back to basic with a lot of practical skills (which needed to be brushed up constantly). Having the constraint not being able to see the result of each shot immediately, I tend to spend more time before each shoot.

I have to make a mind list:

1. the film ISO is 400 – meaning the sensitivity is quite high for outdoor photography during the day and not bad for indoor with small aperture numbers.
2. 50mm fix lens is attached. Quite a warm lens – I can still shoot in a relatively low light
3. 400mm - courtesy of TM's dad was difficult to handle. A damn good quality lens. Lets see I perform with that one.
4. Composition
5. Manual focus – this is a pain for me. I have not been using manual focus for a long long time and I don’t trust my eyes. It takes me a while to focus, especially on moving subjects.
6. Waiting for the result – only when the films are processed at central market and that would take at least 2 working days.

It is a good experience to shoot less – as less, in most cases, is more.

The Card has been Compromised!

Please check your statement carefully.

Someone used my credit card to buy a Mac!

Dang!

Cardnumber - 4386 7590 xxxx xxxx

As a follow-up on our conversation, please be advised that your card details have been compromised and subsequently used for a online purchase of computer in Singapore.

As confirmed by your goodself that the above transaction is not authorised, we have since cancelled the card and issue a replacement card which will be sent to our Damasara branch for your collection on Friday.

Should you need further clarification, please drop a an email. Thanks and regards,

Mr XXX XXX

HSBC

I have been keeping this old / antique piece for a long time.

Someone from Negeri Sembilan gave me this when I was crazy about antiques before.

I still don't know what it is for but I love the workmanship.

I still haven't got a clue what to do with it.

I want to frame it, but not sure how.

I know for a fact that it is quite precious.

I seriously think Penang is doing a good job preserving / restoring its heritage buildings.

I was quite impressed during my last Deepavali weekend. Not as grand but it reminded me of restoration work I bumped into in Europe.

The fact that Penang was declared a Uniesco World Heritage site helps a lot.

Compared to Kuala Terengganu, which doesn’t have that many heritage buildings, even then the are demolishing it. I was shocked when I found out the old prewar shops houses ear Kedai Payang have been demolished. Even Kampung Ladang has been leveled and people will live in flats.

That’s very sad.

I wanted to go to the Bengkel Tembaga in Kampung Ladang recently – it’s no longer there.

Why do we have to destroy our history and heritage?

There are more land in the city available for development.

It is a shame to see – while Penang is busy restoring its past, Terengganu is demolishing traces of its glorious past.

What kind of leadership is this!

My humble abode is READY!

Woo Hoo!

Sydney Revisited

After a month of house renovation and moving into my new home, puasa, hari raya and a hectic week right after Hari Raya, I decided to tag along a couple of friends for their holidays in Sydney.

Been to Sydney a couple of time before. In fact I took my bicycle to Sydney and Melbourne before for mountain biking in eucalyptus forest and of course exploring the city on 2 wheels.

This time around, I knew I was not going too enthusiastic about exploring the city because I was not my first time. Instead I wanted to experience as if I was living there. So I actually brought my running shoes and cooked breakfast.

This time around, we carried baby stroller because my friend’s 2-year-old Baby Bubu decided to have his first Aussie holidays.

It was the usual take is easy, laid-back sort of holidays. I didn’t have my checklist of places to go, things to see or stuff to buy. It was totally go-with-the-flow.

Sydney is Sydney as you and I always expect.

The different and fun about this trip was we get to hangout with the locals who knows every nooks and cranny of the city they live in – it’s a typical love / hate relationship they have – like I do with Kuala Lumpur.

Because of the locals who are now our friends, we managed to check out finest clubs and restaurants chauffeured driven in one of the finest British automotive.

The best to my liking is still a little Italian restaurant called Fratelli Paradiso. It is not a fine dining place but everything about the place is Italian. The owner, the waiters, and chef. The menu is written on the wall and verbally presented by the waiter in English but in a very THICK Italian accent. I have decided the Italians are sexier than the French.

Do check it out if you are ever in Sydney, located up the hill on Challis Avenue, in Potts Point.

One of the best experiences I had during this trip was having Bubu falling asleep in my arms on my shoulder. He is such and adorable baby – just like an angel.

SINGLESPEEDERS

I love cycling and bicycles.

So far I have indulged myself with road bikes (some people call them 'racers') and mountain bike.

I used to have a tandem before but that was history - glad that it's over.

Recently, my friends and I went to Penang right before ramadhan - objective: to eat as much as we can before fasting.

Walking back to the hotel, I bumped in a bunch of kids, apparently they came all the way from Manjong, Perak, by car) to ride Penang on their single speed. The loaded 9 bikes in on e Myvy car.

I tried the bike, but it takes time to get accustomed to - there is NO rear brake.

They were pretty creative with the choice of colors.