The Two Temples

Namely Guan Di and Sin Sze Si Ya Temples at Jalan Tun H S Lee, just round the corner from Central Market. It was Chinese New Year after all and words were out that some of my photography buddy were out in town.

I rushed through the morning rounds and parked my car at NU Sentral, taking the LRT to Central Market to join the rest.

It was still early, and we were in between a change of crowds. The early morning ones had just left and the ones for mid morning were just trickling in. And the light was kind as well. Just enough to capture the wonderful colours without compromising the contrast.

But the main drawback was the smoke from the incense. I could stand the smell but the sting onto the eyes which hurt. It also formed layers at the front of my lens filter. And by the end, my whole shirt and hair smelt of soot.

Guan Di was the first that we stopped at. It was more opened and more crowded. The second stop was better for me. It was more intimate and the place being indoors created some interesting light. Although a bit more smokey. For good effect of course.

I just had to stay away from those coming in to worship but on the whole, no one gave me any grief. It was a great outing although I had to head back to the hospital to see a referral right after.

I would definitely do another temple run in the future but maybe with better planning. It was more of a spur of the moment thing yesterday.

NU Sentral CNY Shophouses

Hands down, the best CNY shopping mall decorations this season must have been the one at Nu Sentral. This new place has certainly been garnering attention and with its strategic location and easy access, the mall management certainly didn't just sit back. They actually put in great effort which certainly put other malls to shame when it came to attracting punters.

Their theme was old Malaysian shophouses depicting the various races with their different wares, which you could imagine could happen in small towns in the 60s. Yes, they were stereotypical, but I couldn't help but have a wry smile looking at them. it certainly brought out the diversity of the different races which made up Malaysia, and what harmony meant.

I kept looking round the corner if some NGO might turn up to complaint ..... but I digress.

I really enjoyed the decoration here. It was Chinese New Year's Day and the place was quite crowded, making taking snaps a struggle at times. I got the feeling however that the word had not gone out about the place as I was sure more people would go to places like Mid Valley Megamall and 1Utama despite poorer access to public transport.

The foyer was transformed into an old town centre which in the old days was the nerve centre of the community. There were mock-up of restaurants, grocery shops, gold merchant and the likes with cute figures all dressed up as the vendors. Rather cute.

When I reached there - just after lunch - the dragon dance troupe were just packing up, with the crowd about to disperse. I just snapped away before rushing back to the hospital to see a referral.

Highly recommended before the decorations were put down maybe in a bother week.

Goat Xi Fa Cai

I noticed that the traffic to work today was almost non-existent. The city dwellers had taken off and the ward had been quiet.

Everyone was in jovial mood walking around the hospital, and it was a good thing that I cancelled this afternoon’s clinic. I could just go with the flow, taking things easy while waiting for the holiday to start.

Would be in town though as my colleagues would be taking some time off for the New Year. Hopefully things won’t be too hectic. Might have some time to have a good walk in town sans traffic with my camera on tow.

So, to all my Chinese friends and those celebrating, have a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Goat Xi Fa Cai!

Holiday Started

Since the weekend, the boys had been up to their old antics. They just sobbed all day, going to bed way past midnight and only getting up at lunch! Nightmare.

Then came the time to go out for dinner. They would come up with all sorts of excuses, mainly to stay at home to watch TV and playing with their video games. I tried enticing Idlan to go to Jump Street, but was worried that the place would either be too crowded or closed during these festivities. Another idea would be to have a drive to Putrajaya, but that was shot down as well!

Since both Anita and I were the outdoors type, dragging them out had been a challenge. And it looked like the trend would continue until they were back to school next week! Good luck to us!

BTS CNY

Berjaya Times Square, Chinese New Year.

So, with Anita and the boys off to Ipoh, I ventured out, camera in hand to sample more decorations around Bukit Bintang as well as having a look at Nexus 6 at Low Yat.

The grand entranceThis must have cost the management a bomb!ProsperityMy God! There were tons of people there. Not like what it was last year when the place was subdued even around Chinese New Year. Apparently plenty of the vendors from Bukit Bintang Plaza - which was recently closed - had moved across. Plenty of people about and luckily I parked at Pavilion and just walked across. Otherwise finding parking spot here might be painful. Monorail would have been a better bet.

Anyhow, I wasn't able to do much shopping and most of the restaurant there were full. I just walked around having a look. Nothing I fancied. I noticed that most of the customers there were Malays, and this being a Sunday, I guess they went out to shop. Maybe most of the Chinese family had done their shopping or had already drove out of town.

I didn't have time to go to the amusement park though. The last time I went to the park was with my boys. Maybe I'd bring them after the CNY crowd quieten down.