Flea Market - The Recyclists (Updated)

Hi everyone,

Im about to head over to set-up shop at The Recyclists Flea Market. Its at Noble House Restaurant which is close to the Pavillion Mall. If you are coming from Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and turning in near Prince Court, it will be on you left hand side before you reach Pavillion.

Come over and support a great cause. Parking is available nearby for RM3 each. It starts at 12 p.m. and goes on till ~6 p.m. (I might leave a bit earlier especially if everything gets sold) =)

There will be some stage performances and celebrities walking about
(and The Boyfriend is giving out free stuff) ;)

See you there

**Updated**

Phew, its a lot harder to sell things than I earlier thought! There were so many vendors at this flea market though making it really difficult to try and capture the customers. Luckily I had a spot closer to the front. Unluckily it was facing the back, so I had to leverage The Boyfriend and some creativity to have cardboard signs written up.



(Did you know it was almost impossible to give away free stuff? People were extremely wary when we said, please just take our stuff. We want to get rid of it. Had to practically pack it up and throw it into their bags!)



All in all though, still lots of fun and deff lots of bargains to be had. As for the rest of the stuff that we didnt sell, will be donating to Single Mothers Association (exact website to be updated later).

More flea markets are coming up (the non-pre-loved kind) which would make for far more fun buys (I always find it hard to go one by one to find good buys for pre-loved items)

Langkawi

The Boyfriend decided to surprise me with a trip to Langkawi! this weekend. Something has to be said for a Boyfriend who loves to travel my country as much as I do.

We took Malaysian Airlines to Langkawi from KLIA (direct flight). Cant really give you the cost since it was on him, but he did mention its cheaper than Air Asia. As soon as we landed we decided to rent a car. It is an island after all. Even though all roads in Malaysia are notoriously known for being bad, its not that bad on an island. I mean whats the worse thats going to happen right? You just end up circling round. The islands not even that big. Im guessing 1-2 hours to circle the entire island if you were driving non-stop.

We stayed at the Four Seasons since we got free nights there (the one upside of our constantly travelling jobs is the free nights we get with our hotel stays). The room that we got was incredible! I LOVED the bathtub that makes you feel like a Maharaja/ Maharani. The entire area is 1.5 km of private beach and was absolutely gorgeous.


(Our Four Seasons room)

Well, here's the funny part. What we didnt know was that it was actually rainy/ monsoon season in Langkawi. So the entire weekend that we were there... it rained! Though not a bad thing since I was with The Boyfriend. We just spent it lazing around, reading and watching a movie. But for those who might be looking for a bit more adventure, may want to check the seasons before opting to go.


(The AMAZING bathtub in Four Seasons room)

As for things to do around Langkawi, originally it was known to have many mystical stories and legends related to it. But from talking to friends who have actually gone to those sites they say its very campy/ touristy. Instead, a friend who went recently said that they should really push its ecotourism sector as there is a lot to do on that end. We were hoping to go on the cable car and actually walk on the hanging bridge to take in the entire island (but alas, weather not permitting).

There's also a beautiful lighthouse/ quay area near the Four Seasons, lots of budget hotels closer to the airport and if you still do want to see some of the legends of Langkawi, you can visit Mahsuri's tomb, Field of burnt rice, seven wells and more. All of this will be on the complimentary maps you can get at the airport.

We also managed to get dinner at Bon Ton (though it was scary driving in monsoon rain). Dinner was really really good. We had the Nyonya special. Absolutely delicious! You can also stay at the Bon Ton resort which have eight antique Malay villas. Done up beautifully.
http://www.bontonresort.com/


(Bon Ton restaurant... yummy!)


(They even gave me a delicious slice of their cheesecake for my birthday)

Even though we didnt get to see much of Langkawi, without a doubt The Boyfriend and I have decided to come back when its nice and sunny and we can enjoy the beach, hiking and taking in everything else we've missed

Islamic Arts Museum - Second try

After driving around for ~15 minutes, I FINALLY found the Islamic Arts Museum. Here's a little tip for you people who actually drive around KL, at the KTM roundabout, take that first left right after the exit for the train station and keep driving straight. It'll be on your left. For those who miss the exit, take the next left which is after the National Mosque, keep on driving straight and at the cross junction turn left and head on down. It'll be on your right. Otherwise, youre going to end up like me and circling around the Lake Gardens area... disgruntled.

But anyways, I made it!!!


(Current special exhibition)

Currently theyre showing the German Mosques photography collection. Its located on the ground floor on the right side in the special section. It is quite good. Interesting to note that in Germany where architecture is so future thinking and incredibly modern, the mosques actually do look similar to those influenced from the middle east. Though there are some interesting mosque that has some cubism influence.


(The staircase)

My favorite part was actually the permanent collections. On the first floor, located on the right are replicas of famous mosques from around the world. Theyve also done a pretty good job with the description of the different type of architectures. I thought it was really great, especially the larger scale replicas of Mecca.


(Open space on the first floor)

They also have a pretty decent collection in the rest of the museum. Lots of beautiful Qu'ran preserved, lots of different clothing attire on exhibition as well as pottery and weaponry. On the first floor in the middle section dont miss the giant curtain that had been preserved from the doors of the mosque at the Mecca. Its really incredible.


(Beautiful mosiac greets you as you walk in)

Tickets to enter is RM12 per person. I would recommend visiting this at least once if youve never gone before, though Im not sure if its possible just to visit the special collections in the future (since Ive seen the permanent collection)

Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia
Jalan Lembah Perdana
50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2274 2020
(Photography isn't allowed so I couldnt get pictures inside the galleries)


(Inside Schokolart... apparently they sometimes do pole dancing here??)

And of course, after a hard's day work =) It was pretty nice to head over to Schokolart at Solaris, Mont Kiara with Miss C. I would deff recommend it, and order the traditional Hugga Mugga Hot chocolate. Yummy!!

http://schokolart.com/main.html
Block K-01-05, Soho KL @ Solaris Mont Kiara
2 Jalan Solaris
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-62030968

When contemporary dance gets ruined

So Miss C and I went to watch the Short+Sweet Dance Gala that was happening at KLPac tonight. Short+Sweet dance had been going on for 2 weeks. Essentially showcasing 10 contemporary dances for week 1 and the more senior choreographers for week 2 (again 10 contemporary dances). Top 5 for each week were then invited back for the gala tonight.

I watched week 1, and it was so good that Miss C and I decided to go back for the gala night. We were deffinitely not disappointed. In fact Im proud to say that contemporary dance is alive and well in Malaysia. Dances are strong with meaning, good structure and story line and executed beautifully with plays on music, lighting, and picture slides. It seriously put a huge smile on my face and reminded me of that longing to start dancing again.

My favourite piece from Week 1 and again showcased tonight was Mirrors. There were 2 regular dancers and 2 handicapped dancers in this piece. It.was.amazing.

At times so painful that it breaks your heart and makes you just want to cry and say enough! but then at other times it just makes you think... wow... just wow... and how we always feel bad for the handicapped, but yet, here they are, just as well as we are.

I prolly am not doing it justice, but trust me, it was amazing. As were some other dances (personal favs; passive, nunuk ragang (THIS is how you turn a traditional dance contemporary), walking with angels (for its beautiful choreography) and Hungry for Hope (refreshing fusion of traditional indian dance elements with modern messages)

Now here is where the show gets RUINED. During Diaries '09, the line of their supporters sitting behind us started CHEERING! like SCREAMING! during their show. Seems like the performers were trained in wushu or a similar martial arts background. The guys were doing jumps and some flips, and these few stupid girls behind us started CHEERING. The entire audience was just quiet... and appaled! I mean, come on! did you think this was a CHEERLEADING CONTEST? Its a freaking contemporary dance SHOWCASE. Have you NEVER seen any jumps or flips? You OBVIOUSLY have no idea how to behave in such a setting. It was pretty sad, because while the dance itself was quite good, the crowd was far too distracted and appaled by these few idiots who insisted to keep on screaming (think theatre setting ok where everyone is sitting quietly and trying to enjoy the show. And maybe with 100 people in there only). So people were shifting focus between the dance and shooting dagger looks at the line of idiots. Part of me wanted them to LOSE the showcase because I was so pissed at them.

Then of course there was the Zapin Berangin. Wth? We watched them during Week 1 and already thought that this was seriously out of context. It was obvious that the dancers were VERY schooled in traditional zapin (Malay) dancing. Its the kind of performance that you expect at Colors of Malaysia or at some Sultan show or something.

Not.at.a.CONTEMPORARY.dance.show.

Miss C and I were EVEN MORE surprised when we found out that they made it to gala night. wth? obviously political was my guess. We tried to dechiper it and see if there was ANYTHING contemporary at all. Nothing. Not like Nunuk Ragang which succesfully fused and interpreted traditional into contemporary with messages, Zapin Berangin was just that... Zapin dancing. Good Zapin dance sure, but not CONTEMPORARY dancing.

AAARRRGGHHHH

Miss C and I were so pissed we left the show before they announced the winner. Who knows, those idiots fans of Diary '09 would prolly be screaming for their team to win or something

*PHEW* I feel a bit better getting that off my chest

But lets take away the good. Like I said, the dances... amazing, interesting and refreshing. Makes me look forward to the next round of Short+Sweet Dance

When weekends get ruined...

(Creative Kokeshi)

On Saturday I woke up early, planning on going to see the German Mosque exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum then off to Bangsar for my usual pedicure appointment. But then of course, the stupid protest was going on!

A while ago something similar had happened, where the cops had closed off roads for a bicycle race. No prior notice given, and deff no alternative routes suggested. Essentially they just kept on telling everyone to keep on moving. So three and a half hour later or so The Boyfriend and I were STILL stuck in traffic having circled KL once. And I was desperate for a bathroom. Not a good thing to happen of course. I finally parked in a mall and walked back to The Boyfriends house(the downside of living in the city)

So anyways, having learnt my lesson from before, I decided that I will make one attempt to go to the museum and then Ill go straight to Bangsar. Lo and behold! the protest was GATHERING at the National Mosque which was next to the Islamic Arts Museum. So, cancelled my trip and went straight to Bangsar. Super disappointed seeing that I had to cart my SLR with me the whole time and way through.

Fortunately, there was a Japanese wooden doll exhibition going on in Bangsar Village 2. So at least there was something else to look at. Called Kokeshi dolls, they are Japanese wooden dolls made according to traditional local technique passed down through generations of craftsmen.


(Creative Kokeshi)


(Creative Kokeshi)

Kokeshi consists of only a head and a body. Each kokeshi is made by an individual craftsmen thus showcasing fully the characteristics of the person who made it.
They can be divided into two different types, traditional and creative, with traditional comprising of 11 different categories.


(Traditional Kokeshi)

But enough chit chat. You should go and see it for yourself in the concourse level of Bangsar Village 2. And of course, after youre done, you can do what I did, and just spoil yourself with a pedicure. Personally, I really like Chic Nail Spa by Soong Ai Ling. Love the ambience, the attention and especially the foot massages. MMMMmmmmmm


(Chic Nail Spa)

Chic Nail Spa : 03-2282-5972
1F-22, Bangsar Village 2,
No 2, Jalan Telawi Satu,
Bangsar Baru, 59100, Kuala Lumpur

(All Kokeshi information taken from exhibition)