How to make a Malaysian Quilt: Bangsar Pasar Malam epilogue

Having spent the last 3 posts looking at food when I had nothing in my pantry was a test of how far I could stand against the growling of my empty stomach. I close this series with a collage of whatelse you can find/buy at the market. Choong or Ba Chang (glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaves), Roast Duck, Siew Mai and Fishballs in a bamboo steamer and dried anchovies. Yes, I'm hungry again and deciding what to post tomorrow.

(the Bangsar Pasar Malam series is dedicated to Kris in that little Hungarian Town. Semoga semuanya selamat. Sehingga pulang ke pangkuan tanahair.)

Bangsar Pasar Malam pt.3

Not everything at this market is raw. Lots of delectables for your immediate consumption. Like this Lok Lok stand. These stands are popular with late-night clubbers. Skewers of meat, fishballs, clams, etc. dipped in boiling broth. Tartare, Medium or Well Done: you decide as you dip, dip, dip to your heart's content. Fatman Steamboat indeed!

~ tomorrow: Murtabak (or Siew Mai. Oh, I don't know. Too much food to choose from!)

Bangsar Pasar Malam pt.2

The happy old man in blue from the previous picture turns up here too. Now he's choosing fish. No smile this time. Confused by the selection perhaps?

A nice piece of cod anyone? Or would you prefer a kilo of squid?

~ to be continued: yes, more food!

Bangsar Pasar Malam pt.1

Bangsar, a suburb in KL. At one time, it was the address to have. In the last 10 years, it has turned into the bar/pub centre of the city much to the chargrin of the homeowners. However, every Sunday evening, you'll find inhabitants of this city flock to the Pasar Malam (Night Market)to buy everything from plants, clothes, fake designer watches and groceries. The food, especially, is what everyone comes for. Cheap, fresh and to stock up for the week till Sunday comes again.

~ to be continued: more food coming

at the local grocers pt.2

So, after I bought the flowers, I walked into Hock Choon Mini Market and who did I find there with the chef from her restaurant, Lissa. I've known her since I was a child. Lissa is the proud owner of three restaurants and on this day, she brought her chef over to the market to promote LaRisata and the ingredients sold at the market. I walked away with a tummy filled with freshly cooked Seafood Carbonara. The scallops were absolutely divine!

at the local grocers pt.1

This is Margaret, the florist at the local grocery market I frequent. Everytime I need flowers, I go to her and this time was no different. I popped by to get a Mother's day bouquet done for my friend Mikael who lives in London. I hope your mum likes the arrangement Miks!

looking glass

What is it about the towers? Even reflected off another building they look great. This mirrored building is Selangor Dredging. It houses the British Council and Tai Thong, one of the best places to have Dim Sum. You only see two of the four buildings that make up Selangor Dredging. I actually took about 10 minutes to take this shot. I just stood looking at the reflection for most of that time.

Okay, tomorrow I move on to another subject. I think we need a brief sabbatical from the towers.

inner sanctum

Once you're done being in awe of how tall and stunning the towers are, you will eventually walk into the lobby that connects you to Suria KLCC, the shopping mall. Once you walk in, take a gander above. It's as if the tips of the towers invert towards you. Very Fifth Element meets Riddick, don't you think?

closer

I don't know what happened but I've only just fallen in love with the towers. I guess being able to see them everyday from my house, I got used to them. But thanks to Daily Photo, I now see how truly stunning they are. And thanks also to Carlos and his posts on La Segrada Familia for giving me the inspiration of doing justice to this monument in my city.

Hmm, I wonder how many more I can post before you tire of them?

twins again

Here's another shot of the infamous Petronas Twin Towers. I was at a meeting today and this was the view from the window. Clear blue skies, which is good for us. Lately, there's been a haze that pollutes our air. On a bad day, you can hardly see the towers and people resort to wearing masks to filter the air. Fortunately, it hasn't gotten that bad...yet. The haze is a result of the annual open forest burnings on the Sumateran island. So, I hope you enjoy this shot of our skies. On a good day, this city is the place to be.

sunrise

Henry came back at 4:30 A.M. I heard him howling at the gate. I ran to him and he had wounds on him. He's finding it difficult to sit. So, this morning, while he was in the garden trying to do the morning regular, I saw these sitting in the bougainvilla (is that how you spell it?) bushes that are planted on the fence.

Thank you for your well-wishes.

Vista

I apologize in advance. I'm posting a picture that I took a couple of days ago. You can consider it part of the jazz lounge series. This is one corner of Top Hat Restaurant. It's where I always ask to sit if I have a meal there.

One of my dogs, Henry Higgins, went missing today and I wasn't in the right state of mind to work on my pictures. I'm about to hop into bed now. Tired from the searching and missed the launch of the Top Room. I was told it was an amazing success. Looking at this picture calms my mind.

Right on top

It's late at night and the last diners have left Top Hat restaurant. I climb the stairs to where KL's new jazz lounge is about to be revealed to the public. I was asked to come in and do a couple of test shots which will be given to the press. This is the corridor that leads to The Top Room. Clean and decorated with antique furniture. Soon, the pictures on the wall will be replaced with portraits of musicians.

On Monday night, the music plays for the very first time. I can't wait!

Take-Off!

I don't know what I was dreaming of but when I took this picture I felt I was right under a spaceship that was landing on a docking station. I was probably having one of my Close Encounter daydream moments. If you notice, the base of this 'station' is KLCC (the Twin Towers) and it looks great at night when it'a all lit. But for now, the lights from this ship will suffice until I get that perfect shot of the night-time towers.

No aliens in sight (just a couple of illegals milling about.)

micasa

I was out with some friends in one of KL's suburbs browsing all the audio equipment stores. They're helping to set up the sound system for a new jazz lounge that opens this coming Monday. I decided I needed to a quick nicotine escape and walked out the store. I lit my cigarrette and as I lifted my eyes, this man looked at me. He wasn't a beggar. He was one of the few homeless that wander the streets. I quickly grabbed my camera and he remained looking. I took a few pictures and didn't know which one I wanted to post. It was a toss-up betweeen this one and one of him looking straight at the camera, his eyes telling a very sad story. I decided on this one. As he walks away from a city that has no place for a lost soul. The irony is that most of us follow aimlesslessly.

Balai Seni Negara

This is the mural that greets you as you walk up the ramp that leads you to the entrance of the National Art Gallery. The N.A.G. was once housed in an old and beautiful colonial hotel. Then someone decided they wanted to bulid something silver and cold to represent how advanced we are as a city. The gallery now has no personality. However, there are some exhibits that are worth a couple of minutes of your time. The mural was painted by a group of Art students. The vibrancy of colour is what attracted me in taking this shot.

patisserie local

Karipap is what we call this half-moon shaped delicacies. You can't leave until you've tried one of these. Puff pastries filled with curried potatoes and chicken bits. This old man was very kind. He gave me an extra karipap because I took his picture. Trying to set himself apart from the other karipap sellers, he also stuffs his with mutton. Yummy!

press Enter

In the heart of the city is Low Yat Plaza, the IT mecca and weekend jaunt for this fellow blogger. This is the place to find whatever it is you need for your computing pleasures. And with all these brands and gadgets competing for our ringgit and sen (and your tourist wallet), advertising is as eye-catching as it can be.



This is one of my favourite billboards selling none other than a flat screen LCD monitor, a lifesize dummy scalling 4 stories of technology candy.

you're excused!

Malaysia was once a British Colony and many of our parents had the priviledge of studying under the British education system. The following generations, me included, take pride in the fact that we are able to master more than 3 languages. English, of course, is a given. However, there are still some discrepancies.

A.M. Sup

KLites eat 24 hours a day. We love our food and we expect to find places that stay open for our gourmandizing pleasures. Many of them are run by Indian-Muslims affectionately known as mamak and so, whenever we're in need of a good roti or local beverage, we say, "Let's go to the mamak." Here's a mamak waiter taking a breather from our incessant demands.

up & away

We here in KL, have an infatuation for all things tall and phallic. It is in the public consciousness to have the biggest, tallest, longest, brightest, shiniest, whatever. Here's another building that marks our city skyline. Does anyone want to see the World's Tallest Flagpole? Yup, that's here too!

train ride

On my way to the airport via the KL Underground. I decided I wanted to stand at the head of the first tram to capture the tunnel. I was pleasantly surprised by the actual shot: the reflection of the passengers.

Bus Stop

These are commuter buses that take passengers from a stop to the closest Underground station. Public transportation in KL isn't something to shout about. Taxis are hard to come by. And Underground stations aren't located in the most convienient of places. However, we manage. The funny thing about this shot is the name of the bus: Rapid KL. There is nothing remotely rapid about them. If anything, they cause most of the traffic. A bus driver usually stops wherever he chooses as long as the actual stop is in his sight. Road rules: free for all!

Twin Signs

It's only obivious to begin this photo blog by showing you what we are most proud of and what the tourists take countless shots of: The Petronas Twin Towers. The picture doesn't do it much justice. You have to be standing at it's feet, look up and then comes the WOW factor.


This I only noticed today while I was stuck in the city traffic. It's a for tourists only where-to-go signpost. It's marked with all the must-see places. If you notice, some are in Arabic. The past few years have seen KL to be a very popular holiday destination for Middle Eastern tourists. As my friends would say, "It's Ninja season again!"