strong hold

There are a number of salon wholesalers in KL. If you know where to find them, you pay far less than retail prices for your favourite hair-care products. Here's one of them but what on earth was the owner thinking of? Unless, of course, the store sells products that 'hold' absolute power over your hair in a cruel and oppressive way.

Hair-ve a wonderful weekend and I hope you gel with your mates.

wig out

I was walking along in the evening and came across this store that was about to close. Trust me to stop and notice the dummy heads and wigs. I love wigs. I have two of my own, a long brunette one and a short black one. Don't wear them very often though. My bald head itches easily.

festivale latinos finale ole!

"Ola! Would you like to try my saucy sauces?"

It was a wonderful festival and I had a great time sharing it with you. Every post brings back the experience I had.

I hope there's another one soon. KL life gets a little too routine. I need to samba with some salsa down in Copacabana!

festivale latinos 3

It says Devil of Yare from Venezuela on the name tag. All I know is it didn't scare any children away. On the contrary, the salt-and-pepper haired lady behind the mask was surrounded by them. Everywhere she walked, children followed. She was saying things to them but I didn't understand a word. All I know fluently in Spanish is Agua de Beber but I doubt she was enticing them with water.

One more shot of the festival tomorrow and this colourful series comes to an end.

festivale latinos 2

No girl from Ipanema. However, I was surrounded by beautiful women of all ages swaying and dancing. These 2 little girls were getting ready to perform. I didn't take any pictures of them dancing because I wanted to enjoy it with my own eyes. They were wonderful and the applause... even I felt a bit jealous. Blame it on the Bossanova!

festivale latinos 1

A lovely Sunday afternoon and the whole of South America comes together to share it's culture, music, dance and oh-so-delicious food with us. The Latin American Festival. My friend Judimar, a beautiful and fantastic dancer asked me to come have a bit of fun. And I'm so glad I went. The moment I arrived, I was greeted with a cup of hot Brazilian coffee. While I'm sipping the brew, I turned around and saw this gorgeous costume.

Come around tomorrow for more.

signalling strength

Anyone familiar with Atlas, the Greek God bearer of the heavens, also of weightlifting and heavy burdens? According to Greek mythology, Atlas stormed Olympus and threatened the gods. Angered by this, Zeus sentenced Atlas to hold up the heavens and bear the weight on his shoulders for eternity. Many years pass by until Perseus comes round with Medusa's head and turns Atlas to stone. One big rock known today as Mount Atlas.

That's the story that came into my head when I saw this. DiGi is one of the mobile service providers in Malaysia and this bulbous yellow fellow is it's new mascot. His job is to carry the weight of DiGi subscribers mobile coverage. In this shot, he's holding up a monorail station. Great! Communications and transportation!

people who need people are the luckiest people

It's so good to see how Kuala Lumpur has become one of the world's selected holiday destinations. Why? Cos I get to observe so many people from who knows where. I'm not weird. It's what I do for a living, remember? I watch how they move, listen to their accents, facial expressions... you know, anything that I can add into my ever-expanding actor's bag. Like this couple who walked in front of me. There was no tension in their bodies. They walked at a leisurely pace, stopping every now and then to say something or smile at each other. Sweet.

Have a great weekend with each other.

more time

Still on the same road. A few houses down. Keramat is a predominantly Malay area. You'd be hard pressed to find any other races save the odd mixed-race person who drives about with his car window down and handphone in his hand snapping pictures happily.

Once you drive past Keramat, you get to a suburb of the city called Ampang. Techinically, according to city boundaries, Ampang is in another state altogether. Well, the thing is this. KL is in the Federal Territory, which is a state of it's own. But all of it sits dead-smack in the middle of Selangor, another state. And with this brief, perhaps confusing, explanation, I'd like to introduce a new DP member, Dijah who lives in Ampang. Selamat datang!

no time

The next few posts will consist of shots taken with my handphone. Today, I went to the pet store. Usually I take the main roads but today I thought it'd be fun to take the scenic route (which actually is the shorter route). To do so meant I had to drive through Keramat. Some would call Keramat a kampung, some a suburb but I think it defies any sort of catagorization. Keramat is Keramat. It's another one of those areas in the heart of the city that Time forgot.

hot food

It's lunch-time and if you're a city dweller, you'll see how hoards of people come rushing out of offices just to get a choice table. Here's one of the outside dining areas of a local coffeeshop. Plastic tables with umbrellas. It helps block off the sun but doesn't do much for the heat. We eat and sweat. Once done, we rush back to the air-conditioned offices. Phew!

childish behaviour

Hmm... At press time, only 4 people commented on yesterday's picture. I usually don't concern myself over the number of comments I get per image but yesterday's shot I consider one of my finest. And I'd like to hear some praise. I can only wonder. Maybe,
1) It's boring
2) people are tired of seeing the Towers over and over again
3) no one had the time to go online due to busy days
4) KLDP is on it's last leg (time to retire?)
Or
5) You're just bloody jealous!

Whatever the reason, I'm posting this shot today. Taken with my handphone, in the kids department of Isetan. It's not Playdoh. And it bounces when it's rolled into a ball. So there.

peaking through

In front were 3 boys in yellow. Above, the twin towers. So you who guessed where the boys were in yesterday's comments, YAY!

Had such a mad day today. And another one tomorrow. YAY?

park and sit

It's night time. The rain stopped and the pavement is mostly dried. People come out of the buildings to enjoy the cool air. It's great to just sit there and do nothing. I found a spot and plonked my bum down. My friends stood, chatted and watched their kids run. I was happy sitting on the ground. I noticed this in front of me. 3 little boys and their guardian watching the fountains.

I hope you're having a lush Sunday.

free parking

Gray skies rarely stop us from enjoying a park. I know I was. If it wasn't for my camera gear, I would've been the first to dance in the rain. Like I said yesterday, I managed a couple of shots before it poured. Here is a family obviously having a good day. I hope they didn't get too wet when the storm came.

after noon

I went walkabouts this afternoon. Went to a nearby mosque hoping to snap a few shots of people heading to Friday prayers. But thanks to the lovely traffic, I got there after prayers were done. That didn't stop me though. I did manage to catch this one man walking away. Took a few shots and went on my merry way. I was planning to spend a couple of hours under a tree at the park but then...drip drip drop. Rain.

back there again

Ok, I came home yesterday and collasped. Didn't get a chance to snap any shots for today's post. So, I thought I'd use an unposted one from the very-recently-ended Thankful series. You'll recognize Latiff, the shopkeeper who gives me food, and the lovely woman next him is my mother, Yvonne, the one who gave me life (and gives me a headache every now and then!)

However, she puts up with my many moodswings and I really shouldn't be complaining. She happy when I'm around and she's very happy that I bought her a Crumpler bag and pouch from Singapore. Oh Mummy!

home and away

I'm back home! Stayed an extra night just cos we didn't feel like driving yesterday. Came home to discover that satellite TV has been cut off. I must've forgotten to pay last month's subscription fee. Oh well. Doesn't matter. I'm home and glad for it.

Here's a shot from the KL and S'pore DP meeting. 3 cameras, 2 Mozart balls and a slice of birthday cake. Keropokman bought the cake for KLDP's birthday and Zannnie brought the balls. It was great seeing Keropokman again and it was a pleasure meeting Zannnie for the first time. Simply lovely.

thankful 5

With this shot, the men of Bismillah Restaurant thank you for coming. They have enjoyed your visits tremendously and hope you come by for another drink soon.

I'm driving home from Singapore sometime after lunch today. Can't wait to get home. Only been away for 3 days and I already miss my mum and my dogs and my bed and my couch and my shower nozzle and my garden and my book which I forgot to bring along and my this and my that and my the other. Funny, I never want to go home when I'm on holiday. On one this short? Hmm...

See you back in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

thankful 4

Latiff, the shopkeeper. He's been there for as long as I can remember. He's seen me grow from a precarious little boy into the superstar he thinks I am. Every now and then he reminds me to tell the press that Bismillah Restaurant is my favourite eating joint. But I haven't and I don't think the restaurant needs the publicity. It's never empty.

It's Monday. Have a great start to the week.

thankful 3

Here's Mr. I'm-so-macho-when-I cook! When I lifted my camera to him, he said, "Wait!" Then he took a step back from cooking and stared at the camera. He didn't move until the shot was taken.

I'm having a great time in Singapore! Meet Keropokman and Zannnie yesterday. I'm sure they'll be telling you all about our get-together on their DPs. Keropokman got a slice of cake to celebrate KLDP's birthday. Yay! Thanks for a great afternoon guys.

See you tomorrow!

thankful 2

Two more smiley faces at the restaurant. This was one of the first few shots I took. After this, the posers showed their true colours. Rememeber that shot I took of the 'suave' watch-seller? Come back tomorrow for the macho and suave Cook. They were a riot, this bunch!

I'm off to Singapore this weekend. Will be meeting Keropok and Zannnie for afternoon tea (how civilized!) and we're watching a play later in the evening (how cultured!) which my friend Karen is in. Then heading to a jazz club (how poncy!) to listen to another friend, Junji, sing her soul out.

Have a fantastic weekend. See you tomorrow.

thankful 1

Continuing the celebrations of KLDP's 1st birthday, I'll be posting more portraits of people who always have a smile for me. Ladies & Gentlemen, let me present the staff of Bismillah Restaurant. This is the first one.

Bismillah Restaurant is on the main road of where I live. Every morning, either my mother or me will walk out to get breakfast and sometimes dinner. Roti Canai, Mee Goreng (fried noodles), Nasi Briyani (Briyani Rice). We inhabitants of Malaysia refer to these restaurants and stalls as the Mamak, which is also the term we use for Indian Muslims.

When I walked there with my camera last night, all of them clamoured to have a shot taken. Because of all the years Bismillah has fed me, I'm doing the series for the wonderful people who work there.

it's all smiles: KLDP is One today!

Yes! KLDP is a proud little 1 year-old! Well, not that little. Quite fat actually (from all the pictures stored in cyberspace). Certain cultures believe that being fat is a sign of happiness and prosperity. I'm all for that belief. It has been a year of meeting new friends and developing photography as a form of storytelling.

I thought long and hard on the picture that would best represent this day. I chose this. The baristas at Starbucks in Low Yat Plaza. I frequent this outlet at least twice a week. Good coffee, free Wi-Fi and smiling, friendly faces. People that make my day a little merrier. And that's what it's all about.

So, thank you for coming into KLDP and my life, and making it a little merrier. Happy Blogday KLDP! We will always have a smile for you.

truckin' along

Here's another thing from the 'old' days. When you drive in KL, you'll still see these trucks competing against the newer delivery trucks for lane superiority. This causes the rest of us 'lesser' vehicles owners to compete for the narrowest lane. It's no wonder that driving is a major contributor to stress.

Tomorrow is KLDP's 1st Birthday! AAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!! What do I post to mark the occassion? Oh the stress of it all! Come and visit to see how I've dealt with it.

they just don't make'em like they used to...

...and everything costs more than they used to too! Well, not everything.

Here's a bicycle from waaaay back when times were simpler. This picture aside, I'm one of the group that feels that things were better made then than it is now. Craftsmen, that's what they were called. Men and wmen who were meticulous in their work. Now, it's mass-produced. Nothing wrong with that of course but what do you think? Was the quality of a product better then or now?

Example for me: I have a canvas bag that's lasted over a decade (thank you Crumpler!) and a 2 year-old designer label bag that's ripped and frayed at the edges. Oh dear!

birds of a feather...

...are delicious when roasted to perfection! Chicken may be the choice of many but you can roast me a duck anytime. I go to a French restaurant, I order Duck Confit. At a Chinese restaurant, it's the Peking Duck. Braised Duck Noodles, Duck & Sun-Dried Tomatoes Pasta. Nothing quite like it. So, when I passed this, I wiped the saliva from my mouth, breathed in the aroma and when I was filled, I took the picture. My favourite Disney character is Donald but I would never dream of chowing down on him though. Daisy would never forgive me!

3 days more to KLDP's 1st birthday!

she works hard for the money

Here's another man at work: Me! This is my alter-ego Sheila. She hosted an Oscar themed show last night. The women loved her. The men told her to stay away. Typical. Sheila's command of the English language is somewhat weak. Here's an example of what she said last night.

Good evening ladies & gentle men. All of you give me so much pleasure tonight in welcoming all of you here tonight. Tonight we come at the same time to celebrate the best that Malaysia has to offer... Now to present the nominees of the first categorical, she is a world-famous actoress from that movie Cursed By The Golden Shower, please put your hands on me for Gong Xi!!

Today's post goes out to Meg who loves my backstage photos and Nathalie, just for the heck of it.

sole survivor

Here's another man hard at work: a roadside shoe repair man. An instituition but fading away. With the growth of Mr.Fixit type shoe repair shops, these men are far and few between. But every now and then you'll find them. This man I found sitting under a makeshift hut behind the parking lot of an office building. And given the choice, I'd go to them. They actually do a better job of repairing shoes.

I'm counting down to KLDP's 1 year anniversary. 5 days to go! Have a great weekend.

behind the wheel

For some of you who wanted to see an actual man at work. This is Mr.Wah, the supervisor at the workshop I send my car for repairs to. He's a soft-spoken, very accommodating young man. Always has a smle on his face no matter how stressed I get from explaining my car's ailments. Which reminds me, I have to send my car in for a tune-up soon.

DP Theme Day: Men At Work

This month's theme is a shot of men at work. Here's KLDP's contribution to the world.


Click on any of these numbers to have a look at participating DP cities (always a joy to see men at work!) Please keep in mind the time differences. Not everyone has lunch at the same time ok? Enjoy!
1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 -20 -21 -22 -23 -24 -25 -26 -27 -28 -29 -30 -31 -32 -33 -34 -35 -36 -37 -38 -39 -40 -41 -42 -43 -44 -45 -46 -47 -48 -49 -50 -51 -52 -53 -54 -55 -56 -57 -58 -59 -60 -61 -62