stump'n'cone

The things you can find when taking a leisurely walk through the park. I was looking for something to post for tomorrow's theme day when I stumbled across this. It was funny to me. No fallen tree next to the stump. Instead a cone. Just there. Lying on the grass. I wanted to lift it up and place it on the stump but alas, there was a 'do not walk on grass' sign. The next best thing: snap a shot of it. I would've done it but the park security was standing next to me. And it is not advisable to cross a Malaysian security guard. Oh no, it is not.

bike chained

KL has yet to embrace people who choose to commute with a bicycle. Which means if you do move about with one, there's nowhere to park and chain you bike. I'm one of these people. One day, I noticed these guys who had chained their bikes to a signpost on an island in the middle of a busy road. Clever boys.

ich bin ein berliner*

Who likes donuts? Raise your hands. Come on, don't be shy. I love donuts either chocolate-coated or sugar-raised. And for me, the place to get the best ones is Sun Moulin Bakery in Isetan KLCC. However, this shot wasn't anywhere near. A couple of chains of donut shops have sprung up and you should see the queue during weekends. I won't mention the names of these places but the donuts aren't that good. Good for a quick 'nut fix but never satisfies. A couple of my friends believed these were so good until I bought them the Sun Moulin ones. Satisfaction guaranteed.

I'm sure these boys were drooling as they watched the donuts being made.

* berliners are the best jam-filled donuts in the world! lecker!

sunday hey!

Another day of rest, but not for me. I had a good night out for dinner last night but something is doing the nasty in my tummy. I've spent most of the day attached to my bathroom and its taking its toll on my body. I also have to prepare for my classes in Singapore. I have nearly 400 teenagers waiting. Thankfully, the classes are split into groups of 80 or so. Even 80 is a large number. But I'm convinced it'll be fruitful for them and me.

Its Sunday and I'm off to the bank and to return a faulty ink cartridge (hopefully, the supplier will replace it.)

stuck on you

Was taking a ride in the backseat for once, not in the driver's seat. Gave me the opportunity of gazing out the window and not worry about maneuvering through traffic. However, this window sticker was the most fascinating thing I saw. It says, 'remove label and discard.' Didn't ask my friend where it came from but I was mighty glad she didn't adhere to the instruction.

Sally, thanks for the gorgeous peacock.

peacocked

A lady selling peacock feathers. When I was a wee lad, I loved watching the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants on telly. My favourite part was always the parade of national costumes, most of all the costumes of the South American contestants. Their costumes were always so dramatic and exuberant. I remember one Miss Brazil who had a huge collar of peacock feathers. When I saw this lady with her plumage, I was instantly reminded of that costume. It also brought back the memory of the first time I ever saw a peacock.

I have since stopped watching these pageants and haven't seen another peacock. Pity.

paint job

When I'm restless, I say yes to tagging along to anywhere and this time was no different. Candice and Shen wanted to get their hair done as well as a pedicure. Really folks, I had not much to do and once when I had hair, I spent hours in a salon myself so I completely understand the hours it takes to get the 'do just right. I like this place they frequent. The young hairstylists are kinda cute. Great eyecandy for me. I hope they didn't catch me grinning.

found nemo

As promised, Nemo or Ocellaris Clownfish as the marine biologist-types would say. And just like that well-loved animated feature film, there are 2 of them here too. I watched them swim for so many minutes before I pressed my lens against the tank.

I wanted to post this yesterday but like most other days, my broadband connection was nowhere near being connected. This is getting to be a nightmare problem for me. When I last made a complaint, I was told to change my phone cables because there were old and interfered with the connection. I did that over 2 months ago and did that make a difference? Of course it didn't. The cables that run along my street are as old as I am. Have I mentioned that to them? Yes I did. Did they do anything? I was told there weren't enough people complaining to warrant any changes. Thank you Telekom Malaysia. I'm really angry with the people in my city. I love KL. The irony of it all.

Karen, I'm okay. See you next week.

le grand bleu

After many days of being headless and restless, I decided to go to the one place I never thought I'd go to. Aquaria KLCC, the biggest aquarium in Malaysia. I've been to Sea World and Marine Land, I've snorkeled a few blue waters and told myself that Aquaria wouldn't surprise me much. Its one of those 'must-have' Malaysian things. We want it, we build it but it never achieves its desired effect (except the gorgeous Twin Towers of course!)

So, like I said, I was restless and wanted to see something different in this city. Paid my RM28 entrance fee (RM38 for non-M'sians) and merrily sauntered in. As great as it was to be underwater and see all these beautiful creatures, it saddened me to see them all in enclosed areas and tanks. I guess this stems from my own need to have space to roam without having to bang my nose on a wall at every turn.

This shot was taken inside the 90-metre tunnel. It was beautiful to see turtles, sharks, stingrays and schools of fish swimming above my head. I came out of the tunnel and went back in for another 90-metres.

Tomorrow, Nemo and I don't mean Captain. Didn't see him anywhere.

bloomin' thanks already

I'm back from the Johor Bahru Arts Festival. Our hosts, organizers Susie and her husband Yap, were friendly and gracious and made us feel like superstars. We only performed one night and what a night it was! The audience was fantabulous! Thank you JB. And just for all of them, and my dear friend Cheng Han who is making her way back to New York, I post this photo. You are in full bloom.

Can anyone name this exotic specimen of flora? I found it on the outskirts of KL.

SURPRISE!!!

Hello! I know I've been away for a couple of days. Spent the weekend with friends who helped to cheer me up from the doldrums I've been in. On Saturday, we got together to celebrate Seow Yee's birthday (actual date: today) with lots of food and laughs. Here you see a tray of birthday cupcakes. Banana-something with creme cheese icing. I had about 6 of those.

I'm away again for a couple of days. Off to Johor Bahru for the Arts Festival. Will be back posting on Thursday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEOWS!

fat free

Yes, fat is free but weight loss comes at a price. A hefty (no pun intended) price. Here's a poster I saw. No diet, no hunger it says. I'll bet the money in my wallet that someone bought into it. Hmm. I always wonder why the city doesn't better our pedestrian paths so more of us can walk off a big meal, or ride bicycles, rather than spend money on these fat-loss products. Any bets on when that will happen?

I only have 20 dollars in my wallet. Ooh, big bet!

bloomin'

The Bunga Raya (Hibiscus) is the Malaysian national flower and my mother has suddenly fallen in love with it. She went to the nursery and brought home several pots. These are the yellow ones. I noticed the red ones sprouting buds today.

love sounds like this

"Sayangi Kuala Lumpur" means Love Kuala Lumpur. Ooh ooh oooh. What kind of sounds would you make if you were asked to express your love of/for your city?

light up my life part 2

Suddenly, despite being a little under the weather both physically and mentally, the lights multiply to brighten the darkest of days. Sunday lives up to its reputation, Day of Rest.

This shot was taken at Bangsar Village 2, a uppity-hoity-toity shopping mall.

light up my life part 1

The weekend's here, I'm still moody, the city is losing its hold on me and if it weren't for my friends, I'd be more than just off my rocker. I had a couple of things to attend to but only managed to complete 2 of a long list. Hey, that's not too bad right? 2 is better than none. Again, thanks to my friends for keeping a check on my wandering sanity.

My head-banging continues tomorrow with part 2. Have a fantastic saturday.

behind the scene

A backstage look. In the front, you see a shiny, slick stage. For most people, you get all the glamour. But for us lucky folk, we get to go behind the shine and see how it all works. Here are 2 workmen putting the finishing touches to the area just minutes before I walked out on stage. They were friendly and quite apologetic for the last-minute work. All was good. I went on and the stage was solid as a rock.

too many views

I'm in a place right now where my mind is saying a lot of things and the rest of me feels the opposite. I know what I need to do but I have too many opinions wrecking havoc on my decision making. So, I decided to stay home and did nothing the whole day. My head is throbbing, I have a headache, and I'm going to go out for a walk once this is posted.

sheer beauty

Make-up fanatics unite. M.A.C. is the choice of so many women and men. That's right, Men. Just admit it. There's absolutely no need to deny it. I use a couple of the company's products but my make-up is filled with The Body Shop. I know a lot of women in KL use M.A.C. Even us theatre folks benefit from it.

Today, a friend came back to visit bearing a John Varratos concealer stick. Can't wait to use it for my next show.

DP Theme Day: "No..." Signs

Yes. Yes. Yes. Its theme day in DP Land and we have to go for the obvious or be super-creative. I went for the obvious but KL being KL, I was guaranteed to find something with incorrect spelling. So, today in KL, in a narrow alley, No PARKIN is allowed.

Can't wait to begin my tour of the other obvious or creative DP cities. I'm sure to be entertained. Come with me. Click here to view thumbnails for all 172 participants.

Have a great day!