economy rice

Don't be fooled by the title of this post. There's nothing wrong with the rice business in Malaysia. Economy rice is what most people call stalls like this. From the wide selection, you can have either 2 meats+1 veg or 2 veg+1 meat for a fixed price. This works for a lot of people who haven't much time to order á la carte at a fancy restaurant. Yummy!

Sorry for not visiting everyone. My broadband connection is on the blink again. I'm now stealing a moment at rehearsal. Cheeky me!

happy shiny people

This is Lilian, owner of Boeing Photo, one of the 3 stores I go to for my camera equipment needs. I was there to get a circular polarizer for one of my lens as well as a battery grip for my camera. I hadn't visited her or her store for awhile. Her husband and her went on a holiday in France and the UK. Lilian loves taking pictures of herself and showed me all her holiday snaps. Judging by the many I saw, she had a great time. Who doesn't when on holiday, right? So, I couldn't resist asking her to smile for the camera.

day off

No school? A good or bad thing? Judging from the child's sad face, it's obviously a bad thing. What do you feel looking at this?

Today is Earth Hour day. There seems to be a slight confusion as to what time we in KL should turn off our main power switch. I was told 5-6 PM. Some others have said 8-9 PM. The effect is to have a complete shutdown in the city. I'm doing it a 5PM. At least I know it won't just be me.

tilted view

At first glance it looks like I put two shots together. Well, that's what it looks like to me. It's just the one shot. I'm not a PS pro yet. It's KL Tower and one of the surviving colonial style buildings in the city. It was the yellow paint that first attracted my eye. I walked around looking for a favourable angle. Found it after a couple of minutes when I came across the tower in the background looking kinda like the leaning tower of Pisa.

Happy Friday!

fiery bloom

City Hall has planted blood-red frangipani trees along the newly paved streets where I live. I guess this is one of the attempts of making the area pretty. It's been raining these past few days and when the sun came out, albeit briefly, I took the opportunity to photography these newly flowered trees. This is the shot I like best, under the blooms with the sun shining down. The moment I was done, the clouds rolled back and the rain came crashing down. Luckily, I got home just in the nick of time. Another second longer, I would have been drenched.

the three-eyed monster

Can you spot the photographer in the three-eyed monster's eyes? It locked it's gaze on me and I locked my focus on it. The intensity of the moment boiled down to which one of us would walk away unscathed. I knew it would take one false move on my part to lose and succumb to it's power. I gathered my strength and stood my ground. SNAP!

Instead of pouncing on me, it remained still. I wasn't in any danger after all. I walked away and it continued to gaze at the other people walking past.

pink living

Low-cost living with a splash of colour. Whaddaya think? You like pink?

root-a-toot-toot

This was one of the shots I had taken for the March DP Theme Day post. I forgot about it. I've been busy these past few days and haven't taken many shots for posting. So, I wandered into my KLDP reserve library and came across it. I found this stencil art on a wall of an abandoned colonial house. It's not on private property so I wasn't being an outlaw. It's a row of houses standing a couple of feet from a main road in KL. I walked into one and saw this. I was surprised to see it. Why? Last year, I posted a shot of graffiti on this very same wall. Someone obviously painted over it and put this stencil on. Another great recycling idea. I wonder if I'll find another piece of art on it next year.

fun at night

How would like to go to this place? The neon looks fantastic! I'm all for the sun at night. I'm a nocturnal man. Most of my best work happens when I'm home waxing lyrical in my head. The rest of the time, when I'm writing, I'm with a couple of friends bashing out ideas over a bottle of single malt whiskey. Will be doing that on Wednesday. Looking forward to it.

Today was the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix. I was hosting a DHL F1 party and my money was on a Ferrari one-two finish. Unfortunately, Massa skidded off the track and left Raikonnen to finish the race without any problems. That he did and someone at the party walked away with a Limited Edition F1 Tag Heuer watch for making the correct prediction. He definitely had a happy Easter Sunday. Hope you did too.

yo mama!

Hello Weekenders! My internet is down, as I predicted. I am now in a karaoke room with a couple of friends. I love to sing and it helps it's Wi-Fi enabled. It's pissing down outside and it's gonna piss down in here too what with all the fighting over the microphones, blasting our vocal prowess at each other.

Here's a bright little shot of our KL graffiti. 'Mama' is the word du jour. Getting my mum to cook with me. She used to cook up a storm when I was younger. There was always something to eat whenever I walked into the kitchen. But ever since my dad passed away about 9 years ago, she stopped cooking and began her 'takeaway' years. She's not in the best of health, and neither am I. With that in mind, I realized fresh home-cooked food was best for us. So I started cooking. She still hasn't embraced the idea but I'm determined to show her life is still worth living and so very delicious.

Have a great Easter weekend.

light headed

Update on internet/email problems. It seems I'm not the only one in the world experiencing email issues on my Mac. Went to the Apple forum and found hundreds with the same concerns. Got a friend to help sort it out. Now it's running smoothly. As for the internet problems, it's city wide. Different parts of the city have the exact problems as I do at different times. It came on just 5 minutes ago (and I think it'll turn off too.)

Obviously, no light bulbs are turning on at the service provider's technical department. Well done Telekom Malaysia. Why are we paying so much for the crap service?

I've also noticed more unhappy faces roaming the city streets. What's going on eh? Full moon perhaps? Waiting for pay day?

Well, I'm just happy I get to post this and have the rest of the evening to figure out what I'm cooking for dinner. Happy Easter!

oh dear...

This picture describes my internet woes perfectly. Head down and shoulders hunched. Right after I posted yesterday's picture, my broadband service collapsed again. My company server as well as .Mac refused to send any emails out. Then no internet connection till this morning. Tried again this morning to resend the emails. Still not working. Thank heavens for Gmail. I copied all the emails and sent them off. Even then, I can't use my usual browser, Safari, and had to resort to my secondary browser. Could there be bugs in the new updates for Safari and Microsoft Office? These problems of mine occurred after I updated the programs.

It seems problems are the order of the day. Even the newly announced Cabinet is causing a bit of an issue with some ministers. I'm sure the Prime Minister's head is bowed as low as this woman's and mine.

like a proud daddy

I apologize for not posting these past days. My internet connection was down for 4 bloody days! Luckily, I had my kids to keep me sane and well occupied. For those of you who know, I've been working with a group of challenged kids and this past Sunday, they did their first public performance which they titled 'The Creative Stars present The Dead Cat.' It was only 10 minutes and part of a longer show we're now putting together.

I was with them backstage before the show. They were terribly excited and couldn't wait to get on stage. When it was time, I walked them to the wings, wished them the best and rushed to the front of the house. The moment the music began and they started to move, I cried. One year's work and here they were, dancing and singing. They had a standing ovation!

Yesterday, at our usual weekly session, we had a little surprise for them. They didn't know they were getting paid like real performers. We made a little speech and gave them their pay packets. The parents were surprised. We reminded them this wasn't just another place for their kids to spend their time keeping busy. This was about offering them a career in the Arts. Suddenly, the parents started talking about getting jackets made and looking for sponsors, something we've been doing this past year.

The Creative Stars are here.

black light

You know, it was one of those days of walking around and looking for a shot. Didn't have much time cos the skies were getting gloomier by the minute. Add to that, my being tired from what was an already long week but I persisted and kept looking around. I felt my neck muscles beginning to stiffen, so I stretched upwards. And this black hole stared at me. And for a moment I felt calm as if all the cares in the world didn't matter so much anymore. I snapped a shot and walked back to my car. Didn't need to look anymore.

spot and varnish

A street cobbler. A road-side F&B lady. Today, a workman giving a gate a bit of a facelift with varnish. People. If you're following my posts this past week, you'll notice it's my homage to my nation. Post-election and the atmosphere is buzzing. The papers are filled with news of our Prime Minister having to scale down his nominations for cabinet positions due to the diminished wins of the ruling party. Yay-whoopdidoo-and all that jazz. A lot of promises being made.

The working-/middle-class obviously demand change. But how about the guy painting this gate? Or the man walking around asking you to buy lottery tickets? How will this affect them? I've made it a point to strike up a conversation with people on the street whenever I can. My favourite conversations have been with taxi drivers. Such an opinionated lot. And so insightful. I don't think many statesmen ride in taxis. They should. The nation has so much more to say than a mere X on a ballot.

We have been made a promise that we will be heard. My broadband connection is still on the blink.

hot oil treament

This ladie is making a local prawn fritter type of thing. It's very popular. You can eat it as is or with a sweet and syrupy chilli sauce.

We locals love our fried foods. All over the city, you'll be sure to find a little stall like this wherever you walk. We fry everything you can think of. Bananas, squid, yam, lotus paste, chicken gizzard, lentils. That's all I can think of for now but I'm sure someone out there is frying something. Oops, I feel a craving coming on.

quick fix

Kuala Lumpur is a contradiction. The old and new coexist but not always harmoniously. As recognized worldwide as it is as a modern city, some parts seem to never want to catch up with the changing times. I'm often at loggerheads with it. That's another story.

But there are moments I'm thankful some things remain as they are. Like this elderly street cobbler. In the most delveloped areas, you're certain to find someone to mend a broken sole. He'll be there waiting and yes, chances are he'll have a cigarette as well.

hey, how you doin'?

After going nuts, it's time for the ruling party to welcome their new 'friends'. Kuala Lumpur is in for an exciting time. 10 out of the 11 Parliamentary seats at stake for the city went to the Opposition. Yesterday, the freshly elected officials met to discuss what they needed to discuss. You know, state matters and stuff. I'm more interested in what the existing government is saying behind closed doors. Pissing in their pants, no doubt.

Later today, incumbent Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be sworn in as Prime Minister by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, our King. Rumours of Badawi stepping down and resigning have been rife these past 2 days. However, he still has some support from his party members. Enough, just barely. I'm sure there are a lot of unhappy, disgruntled, mad people behind him. Well, tough titties people. It's time to be responsible for our actions.

These are exciting times. And it's only Monday.

going nuts

I don't know what these hairy nuts are but the shot is perfect for our day-after election reactions. The opposition won in 5 states. That's totally unprecedented. Several well-known Ministers have lost their seats. Some deserved to lose. One in particular shouldn't have. The incumbent ruling party, Barisan National, won with a simple majority and will now form the new cabinet of ministers with a very strong opposition on it's back. Our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, just barely scraped through in his constituency.

A dear friend, R.Sivarasa, one of our nation's fiercest human rights lawyers, running with the opposition, won the seat in his constituency and will now take his place in Parliament. Congratulations Siva and Anne, his wife, my fellow actor.

Change is coming. And the ruling party is going nuts. What a Sunday!

the day begins

Today, 10.92 million registered voters will cast their ballot in the 12th Malaysian General Election. The one word that both sides are shouting is 'Change' and we, the citizens, agree. However, the more discerning voter has the ominous task of keeping the ruling party in power or vote the opposition. Like most elections around the world, cracks in the system are exposed and many want us to believe that those in power are letting slip their responsibilities to the nation. We have a Prime Minister and ruling party, Barisan National, that is weak and corrupt, so they say. How is it different on the other side of the fence?

I marked my X earlier today. I'm not a staunch BN supporter neither am I in favour of the opposition. It was tough making my decision. But for the future of my country, I cast my vote. The least I hope, I see some change for the coming generation.

Today, Kuala Lumpur Daily Photo celebrates 2 years of exploring, laughing and meeting new friends. Nathalie, Keropok, Ming, Zannnie, Pod, Raymond (and you too Sally!). You guys have made this online community real and human for me. Thank you. Let's share many more coffees and slices of cake. To Lisi, Lynn, Glenn, Kate, Strangetastes, Kris, thanks for the pictures and postcards. To every one of you, thank you for your visits.

It looks like KLDP will be going into another fab year.

Have a great weekend everyone.

pushing along

Don't be fooled by the near-scowl of the guy pushing his trolley. The moment I put down my camera he smiled. Unfortunately, he hadn't any time to pose for me and continued on his way.

Yes, we're still in Masjid India. I noticed something. When I was younger, I saw fabrics of all colours and textures. Each store specialized in something different. However, during this walkabout, it struck me, most of the stores carry similar, if not the same, fabrics. Thankfully the area still carries the charm of the old days.

Tomorrow is KLDP's 2nd anniversary and Malaysia sees it 12th General Election.

scarfing it

A sneaky shot this one. The boy was arranging the rosette-folded scarves when I snuck up behind him. He was too involved to notice a towering man with a camera behind him. Snapped the shot and quickly moved away before anyone was the wiser.

If you've noticed, these past days, I'm taking you with me on my day in Masjid India, an area of the city famed for it's fabrics. It's best to get here by train or taxi. There's close to nowhere to park if you decide to drive. It sits on the edge of KL's business district where most banks reside as well as the Supreme Court House.

time waits for no man...

... but a woman stands waiting for her man. It's funny to see a woman wait for a man at an obviously female shop. I wonder what he's looking for. And why isn't she in the shop with him?

Internet connection has been atrocious for me. The day is nearly over and I only got it back a couple of minutes ago. Man also has to wait for technology to catch up with real-life needs. Thankfully I had pictures to edit and a book to read.

get scarfed!

Oh No! Look at what happened to the ladies from yesterday's picture! They plied so much make-up on, they became plastic. Well, close enough. These are head dummies I saw when I went walkabouts in an area of the city we call Masjid India (India Mosque). A lot of Muslim women in Malaysia cover their heads, and whole bodies, as a sign of their piety to God. It used to be a simple monotone scarf but now you'll find some that are fancy and sequined. These, of course, are quite simple looking. If only the practice of religion was this simple in our times.

lipstick, powder & paint

A Dior make-up demonstration. I don't know if it's a great way to sell the stuff but it does make you stop and watch how to perfectly blend your colours. One deal that was going on was a free makeover with a purchase of a certain amount of products. I wonder if any of these scarfed ladies went home with smokey eyes and over-rouged cheeks and a bag of products they'll spend hours with trying to reproduce the perfect face. I hope they bought decent cleansers and make-up removers as well. No one looks good with dirty pores.

return of the prodigal sun

We've had 2 days of gray and grimmy skies followed by nearly 30 hours of rain which ended sometime last night. When I woke up today and saw the sun, I rushed all my dirty clothes to the washing machine, did a load and now everything is drying. I'm here having a cold soda. The only downfall of the rainfall was not being able to get online. When it gets too wet, broadband cuts off.

Happy Sunny Day all!

DP Theme Day: Graffiti/Street Mural

Art is H-O-T! Now go sweat it out at the other 143 participating DP members and their pieces of HOT art.
Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, Aliso Viejo (CA), USA by Rodney, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Bandung, Indonesia by Guntur Purwanto, Baziège, France by PaB, Belgrade, Serbia by BgdPic, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Boston (MA), USA by Fenix, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Bucaramanga, Colombia by Fernando, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chicago (IL), USA by b.c., Chicago (IL), USA by U R us, Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Cologne, Germany by April11, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Detroit (MI), USA by Taittems, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Corinne, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Guelph, Canada by Pat, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Jsaltao, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Ham, London, UK by Mo, Mainz, Germany by JB, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Mazatlan, Mexico by Kate, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montréal, Canada by Douber, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by MumbaiIteanu, Naples (FL), USA by Isabella, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK by Cassie & Chris, Niamey, Niger by Dinabee, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Radonvilliers, France by Deslilas, Riga, Latvia by Prokur, Rome, Italy by Giovanni, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation by Lark, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, Santa Fe (NM), USA by Randem, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seguin (TX), USA by Thien, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Silver Spring (MD), USA by John, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Terre Haute (IN), USA by Zann, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Wrocław, Poland by Loompi, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,