Golden Busker

We hardly see busker in Kuala Lumpur. Last Saturday while bringing 2 friends from Hangzhou, China around town, we stumbled upon this busker on the crossroad of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail. Amazingly he stood there like a puppet, not moving and had his whole self painted in gold and his attire was also in gold.

Would you be able to stand still like him while others are throwing glances your way?

ABC Wednesday - 'M' is for Magnificent View

ABC Wednesday returns with the theme 'M'. For this theme, I am posting a lady admiring the magnificent view seen from the observation deck of KL Tower.

For more postings of today's theme, do visit the ABC Wednesday portal.

Jalan Tun Sambathan

It's on Wesak eve and I had an outing with my community forum's photographers to photograph Brickfields Buddhist Vihara on Wesak eve. We were meeting up at the coffee shop next to KL Monorail station in Brickfields. While waiting for the traffics to turn green at Jalan Tun Sambathan, I quickly took out my camera to shoot the photos of people waiting for buses. As it was a Friday evening and rush hour has just started, there were many people waiting for buses there.

Brickfields is also known as the Little India of Kuala Lumpur. You can see the Tamil Nesan (an Indian newspaper) office with its signage written in Tamil and also English. You can also see the bus with an advertisement promoting a rather new radio station, Fly FM 95.8.

This is a very interesting place to go for photo outing!

My World Tues - Masjid Jamek

This is Masjid Jamek (Jamek Mosque). It was opened in 1909. That means it is 100 years old this year!! It served as the first national mosque until 1965 when the existing National Mosque was completed. The Moorish architecture of this mosque was designed by a British architect named Arthur Benison Hubback. It sits on the confluence of River Gombak and Klang.

Although it sits in the middle of the city, the mosque has a very calming effect on its visitors. I love my visit there!

Photo bloggers from various cities shares their worlds through "That's My World Tuesday" portal. Check them out there!

Sky Watch Fri - Sunny Riverside

Today's Sky Watch posting shows the sunny riverside view of Kuala Lumpur, near the Industrial Court. This is a nice play for a stroll on a Sat or Sun morning. As the weekend is here, if you are in KL, how about going to the riverside for a peaceful morning stroll.


This posting is for my participation in the SkyWatch meme. Wish all of you a lovely weekend!

My World Tuesday - Yellow Windows

Growing up in Melaka where there are many old pre-war buildings has turned me into a person who likes the charms of the olden days. While walking around Lebuh Pasar on last Sat, I chanced upon this old, attractive building. The many yellow windows struck me!

Don't they look attractive? If you noticed, there are 16 windows on each level. It must be very breezy and bright to have all these windows open. I wish I have a chance to visit the interior of this building or to live here.

Are you attracted to old buildings?

This is my participation for That's My World Tuesday posting!! Discover the world through postings from around the world on this portal!

Windows

Similar to yesterday's photo, I was trying to figure out what's the best way to capture these windows when this man walk past in front of me.

Has this happen to you before?

Big Ben of KL

This is Kuala Lumpur's Big Ben. It is part of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It onced housed our High Court, that has now moved to Jalan Duta. I love the Moorish architecture of this building.

Do you have a big clock tower in your city too?

My World Tues - Valentine's Crowd

This is a scene at the junction of KL's Jalan Bukit Bintang on the evening of Valentine's Day. Check out the numbers of revellers hanging out here.

This posting is my participation in That's My World Tuesday meme.

Walking in KL

As I was walking near the Sultan Abdul Samad building, I chanced upon this guy walking pass this beautiful structure. I can't help it but to click away!

SkyWatch Friday - Tugu Negara

This photo was taken on a sunny afternoon at the National Monument or locally we call it Tugu Negara. The monument was erected to honour the soldiers who gave their lives in the cause of peace and freedom, especially during Malaysia's fight against the threat of Communism during the Emergency period (1948-1960). There are 7 human figures build of bronze on the monument and each represents one quality - courage, leadership, sacrifice, strength, suffering, unity and vigilance.

Watch the skies in other cities at the Sky Watch Portal. Wish you a peaceful weekend ahead.

My World Tuesday - Delicious Yong Toufu

Glad to share with all of you one of my favourite Yong Toufu stalls.

This stall is located in the market of Petaling Street (Chinatown). This place may not be the most comfortable setting for dining but the food served are very delicious.

Yong Toufu, if you do not know, is fish paste products. The fish pasted can be stuffed into vegetables or beancurd/beancurd skin. It can also be served on its own as fish balls. The Yong Toufu can either be deep-fried or served in a bowl of soup.

In the first photo, you can see the bitter gourd stuffed with fish paste are freshly deep-fried. While the second photo shows a man stuffing lady fingers with fish paste and the lady placing fish paste onto a wanton skin.

Yong Toufu are usually served with Chee Cheong Fun (rice flour noodles) added with sweet and chilly sauce. Or the famous Penang style would be with prawn paste! My favourite accompaniment for my Yong Toufu is a bowl of noodle! Just like in the third photos, where the customers were eating Yong Toufu with curry noodle. Yum, Yum!!!

Where do you go for your favourite food?

How are the other's world like? Find out at My World Tuesday's Portal.

Street Scene - Jalan Sultan

It was still early noon, but the liquor shop in Jalan Sultan already have so many patrons! This is another street scene from KL's Chinatown.

Street Scene - Jalan Tun H.S. Lee

These 3 young ladies caught my attention as they past by me on the street in KL's Chinatown.

Theme Day: Dec 08 - Circles or Spheres - Eye on Malaysia

A peaceful morning at the Eye on Malaysia's old site, Lake Titiwangsa, would fit Dec's theme of Circles or Spheres. The reflection on the water form the plural entity of the Eye On Malaysia to fit today's theme.

As I reflect on the scene here, it is so peaceful and calm. But when I recall the news on today's frontpage regarding the terror attack in Mumbai, India and protests ongoing in Bangkok, Thailand, I can't seem to be calm. It makes me worry what is happening to our world. Why would people kill one another? Why is there so much of unrest and anger? Isn't there a better way to resolve differences? I wish that calm and peace would come to Mumbai and Bangkok.

My prayer for the people in Mumbai to be strong and calm as they deal with their losses and lives after this terror. And may there be a peaceful end to the unrest in Thailand. May the world has more love for one another.

There are 187 blogs participating in this theme day. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

A Mess for Your Meal

Nearing Diwali celebration, I visited Lebuh Ampang, KL's Little India, searching for the Prasad Mess that I read about in The Star paper. According to the writer, Sam Cheong:

To the first-timer, locating this eatery would be an interesting trip. But before we delve deeper, here’s the low-down: a worker’s mess is a no-frills eatery where people come and go with the intention of filling up. There’s no room for small talk as the outlet is, literally, small.

Having heard about it from S. Panirselvam, an old friend, I decided to check it out.

“Eh, Sam, if you want to get to know Southern Indian food, you'd better locate the mess and, I tell you, this is a place which is managed strictly by Indian nationals that are hairy and burly,” Panirselvam joked.

With the notion of good food and efficient service in mind, it didn’t take long for me to make my way up a narrow and dimly lit footpath at the far end of Lebuh Ampang.

Called Prasad Chetti Naadu Mess, it’s on the first floor of a pre-war shop lot. Now, this makan place has fewer than a dozen tables with banana leaves and metallic goblets laid neatly in anticipation of walk-in patrons.

It’s also a place where they don’t take reservations. What’s interesting is the speed and efficiency of the workers who serve customers.

At RM6 a helping, one cannot complain. There’s a generous serving of white rice, dhal gravy, vegetables and a small plate of curried mutton to go with it, while the papadum crackers were served as a literally bottomless helping.

This is the place to be to practise eating banana leaf rice with your hands.

K. R. Ganesan, a mess regular, said he has been eating there for more than 25 years. The retiree travels from his home in Ampang Jaya to Lebuh Ampang on a daily basis and one of his unbreakable routines is having lunch at Prasad’s.

“Ah, young man, you must observe closely. Slowly mix the meat and vegetables in small portions and you’ll get to enjoy life’s little pleasures,” the 67-year-old said.

His skill was a sight to behold as I tried to emulate the moves. At the worker’s mess, different dishes are offered on a daily basis and this includes turkey curry on Wednesdays.

Ganesan recommends the weekly specials such as Kudal mutton on Saturdays and Chicken Briyani on Sundays.

Unfortunately, I just had my lunch. Thus, I didn't have the chance to savour the Head Mutton or Crab Soup that are served on that day, i.e. Tuesday!
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I just got this message in my mailbox. It's a funny one but also a good reminder note to all of us of the gloomy global economic situation facing us in the coming new year. The message from my banker friend, says:

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Christmas song is not spared.

Wishing all the best and looking forward for a brighter 2009.

And always remember to pray… pray hard for all the good of ourselves, family, friends, relatives, neighbors, nation and everyone surrounding us, past, present and future.

P/S: Our God may be more busy lately and running on thin bandwidth due to more prayers and requests. Response may also be delayed in correspondence to overwhelming requests. We shall continue to upgrade to support your today and future. Therefore, pray more to get the attentions, don’t give up.

Latest Christmas carol for 2008 for you.

Sing to the music of Santa Claus is Coming To Town:

You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town.

It's hitting you once,
It's hitting you twice
It doesn't care if you've been careful and wise
Recession is coming to town

It's worthless if you've got shares
It's worthless if you've got bonds
It's safe when you've got cash in hand
So keep cash for goodness sake, HEY

You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town!

Finance products are confusing
Finance products are so vague
The banks make you bear the cost of risk
So keep out for goodness sake, OH

You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town.

Wear It Pink Walk

Launching the Wear It Pink Walk
(Rene'e Ahmad, 2nd from left, was the honourable guest for this event.)

Participants doing a warming-up exercise before the walk began.


Participants walking along Jalan Pantai Baharu.
Looming behind them is the Telekom Malaysia's Headquarter.

Again we are up early today for another Breast Cancer awareness walk. This time it's the Wear It Pink Walk organized by Pantai Medical Centre. It was held at Tenaga Nasional Berhad's (TNB) Kilat Club, just across the medical centre. The walk was not well publicises. We got to know about it only on Thurs. The crowd that turned up majority were from the Pantai Nursing School (over 200 of them). It's a waste to put efforts to organize an event but yet didn't do enough on its publicity to get more participants. More so when it's an effort to create awareness on breast cancer, one of the major cancer for women in Malaysia.

We had the pleasure to meet with Rene'e Ahmad (the lady in pink cap & blue pants in the first photo), a breast cancer survivor. She conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2005 and Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina in 2007 after her recovery. She proved that there is life after breast cancer!!

I have a friend in Singapore who has just went through a mastectomy and now undergoing chemotheraphy. She is feeling very angry and upset over her current condition. I choose to share the victory of Rene'e Ahmad with her, hoping she knows that there is a life after breast cancer. Don't give up, my friend! Calm down and may peace of mind comes to you as you work on your recovery! My prayers are always with you.

STATISTICS ABOUT BREAST CANCER
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Did you know that breast cancer afflicts an estimated figure of more than ONE MILLION women in the world each year and is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, second to lung cancer? Did you know that of the ONE MILLION afflicted women, almost 45% of those women live in developing countries? Did you know that of the new cases of female breast cancer reported in Malaysia in 2003, 64% of these cases were women between the ages of 40 to 60 years old?Did you know that Chinese women seemed to be at greatest risk, with an incidence of 59.7 per 100,000; followed by Indian women (55.8 per 100,000) and Malay women (33.9 per 100,000)?Did you know that early detection and getting appropriate medical attention can help save lives? So it is unfortunate in Malaysia that nearly 40% of the new cases identified each year were already in the very advanced stages of the disease.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the world, affecting one in 19 women in Malaysia. As with most cancers, the earlier breast cancer is detected and diagnosed, the better the chances of successful treatment.

One of the best ways of ensuring that breast cancer is for you to be breast aware, that is understanding and knowing how your breast look and feel like under normal circumstances, so that you are able to seek early medical advice if there are any changes in either breast.

Find out as much as you can about the subject so you can make an informed choice about your treatment options. Do not be afraid to ask questions from medical practitioners.

Be positive and lead a normal life after breast cancer treatment. Take good care of your mind, body and soul.
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Other postings on Breast Cancer Awareness Walk:

• Breast Cancer Awareness Walk

Illuminated Display

We were stopping at a traffic light along Jalan Maarof in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur when this shop on my left caught my attention. The dark outdoor and the well-illuminated interior make the window display very attractive! Many bungalows along the main road of Jalan Maarof has been turned into attractive showrooms or retail outlets with nice window displays. I am one who loves to see window displays and find inspiration in them. This is one of them!

KL Hop-On Hop-Off Bus

Similar to many cities in the world, Kuala Lumpur, the city of Malaysia also has its own Hop-On Hop-Off bus for visitors to this city. It ferries mainly tourists to interesting, popular tourist spots in this city. This is the 1st time I have seen this bus, as I hardly goes downtown. I was waiting at the zebra crossing in Chinatown when this bus past by!

I love the vibrant colour of the bus and most of all the open air seats on the upper deck of the bus! What a fun way to enjoy the beauty of KL! Make sure you get a ride on this when you visit KL!!

I wonder whether anyone else has a photo of the Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus of your city. If yes, why not post a link here. I would love to check it out! :o)

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Added on 2 Dec 2008.

Check out city tour buses in:

• Malaga Spain, Malaga Tour
• Singapore, Hippotours
• Singapore, Duck Tours

ABC Wednesday - 'O' is for Old Buildings in KL

I took this photo while standing at the junction of Jalan Tun H.S. Lee & Jalan Cheng Lock in KL's Chinatown area. This is a very busy area, with public buses and taxis plying the road. The buildings here are very old, as one can see the orange building where the famous Lai Foong Restaurant is located is over 55 years old. Lai Foong Restaurant is actually a coffee shop with many hawkers stalls in it. One of the stalls sell the famous beef noodle, well-known among KL-ites. The tall structure behind Wisma Fui Chiu is the Maybank headquarter.

What are the old buildings in your city like?

For other postings of ABC Wednesday, do visit the ABC Wednesday Round 3 portal hosted by Mr. Linky.