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Went to KL to Check Out MIFF with Dad

Written by Nicholas Chan on March 13, 2010 – 5:53 pm -

Last weekend, there’s a exhibition/expo happened in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. It’s the Malaysia International Furniture Fair. Dad is in part of the furnishing business so he brought us along to Kuala Lumpur. Usually, going there would be more likely a shopping trip for me and mommy but somehow, I didn’t really buy anything. It’s more like a business-acompany trip, nothing to buy actually and there’s no sale in Malaysia.

To be honest, I am not really into the furniture and related expo, I only interested in something like Electronic Gaming Expo or the Consumer Electronics Show, Tokyo Game Show or perhaps the Taiwan Computex. They’re cool and bombastic gadgets show, which I like! Somehow, I need to be interested in furniture because I will be doing interior design course in college. Yeah.

Quite a lovely rainy day in Kuala Lumpur, it rained so big, the cats and dogs type of rain, it’s nice because it had been very hot weather since Chinese New Year. Temperature here in Malaysia is sky rocket high.

It’s interesting that the MIFF was not located on one venue only, it’s spread out to 3 convention hall, the KLCC, PWTC and MECC. I didn’t really have the feel to tour KL so was just following daddy here and there to do his business.

After finish touring the exhibition hall, we went to check-in at the hotel. We stayed at Concorde. It’s a walk-in as I tried to book hotel but many hotels were fully booked and it’s quite last minute too. Thankfully, there’s still room in Concorde.

Penang also got Jalan P. Ramlee.

We then walked to Avenue K which just right opposite KLCC. From the hotel to Avenue K is like 15 minutes away only, very close, and passed by the night life district.

Have been to KL for so many times, been shopping in Suria KLCC for so many times and it’s my first time getting so close to KLCC, right below it. I now only believe that it’s so magnificent even though it’s not the tallest now. Still, it’s the tallest STAINLESS STEEL TWIN tower in the world. ^^

Malaysia BOLEH.

It’s really a beautiful building and it’s a must visit and photograph if you come to Malaysia.

Avenue K is actually a shopping mall, but then no idea why, there’s no shop inside. There’s only a few restaurant and we went there for dinner. I actually visited the supercondo above Avenue K before, it was like last year. =)

Nice uncle living in KL brought us to this Ah Yat Abalone chinese restaurant. Nice food, nice place!

After dinner, I went to Suria KLCC to window shop a while because it’s still early and I didn’t want to go back to the hotel so soon, as there’s no Internet access also. So might as well stay outside a little while longer. Only then we walked back to the hotel. Then sleep. ^^

Views from hotel room. Saw Hard Rock Cafe yeah. Penang got Hard Rock Hotel.

The next day, went to visit Taylor’s College Lakeside Campus, very beautiful and only then a real window shopping at Suria KLCC again where dad went to visit to MIFF, KLCC hall. Then came back to Penang in evening. Yeah!

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Tags: kl, klcc, kuala lumpur, Malaysia, Shopping, Travel
Posted in Around Malaysia, Lifelog, School Life | Comments

Hat Yai At Night, Before My Camera Went Dead

Written by Nicholas Chan on January 28, 2010 – 1:52 am -

Yes, you read me. My camera, Canon 400D went dead on the first night in Hat Yai and which made me feel sad and I couldn’t shoot for the second day.

Oh my god. Luckily, I at least got photos on the first day so I could write it up here. To me, traveling without a camera is not call traveling already, I can’t live without a camera when traveling, I want to capture every moment of it because I don’t know whether I will be going there again or not.

Cut the crap and here comes the photos!

During the evening, I went to meet up a relatives who live in Hat Yai. We call him Wen Shok, I don’t know how to relate him to me, I only know he is close to my grandma. He brought us to see his new home in Hat Yai. It’s a 3 storey shop house.

And at there, I also met his very cute grandson, who can listens to Mandarin more than Thai. Cool right? I didn’t get his name though. Not really interested in new home and my phone GPS had some problem locating my location and I was bored at time. No choice, have to follow my parents.

Then we were brought to a very cool Thai restaurant near the university area. They have a very nice garden and the interior has a cottage-liked look. Like.

Gas station. Woo!

After dinner, we went back to our hotel area. Stalls were all set up by the road side and it’s a shopping street again and, Thai-style night street shopping, it’s just the same at every where in Thailand, Phuket, Bangkok. So, it’s nothing special to me already.

Quite many people went shopping too. I heard from the talking, most speaks Mandarin and Hokkien, so I assumed they were tourists who were from somewhere near my place. =D Another interesting thing is that the Thai at there speaks Mandarin too! We don’t need to speak English or point this and that anymore. Though, I don’t really like this because I like pointing this and that, it’s more challenging. Hehe.

Most stuff by the street were clothes and shoes. Nothing much already.

Boy sleeping while mom’s working.

Mango?

Then food is at another corner.

Famous fish tank/aquarium in Hat Yai. O.O

There’s 3 of us, me, dad and mom and the only person who was really shopping was mom only. Me and dad, two were just like bodyguard, following here and there.

The not-boring part was the foot and neck massage. Really relaxing and it’s one hour at there. The person do my foot, then a little bit of my hand and my neck too! Now I know why dad so like Thai massage.

After a massage would be some supper. It’s 11pm and 12am Malaysian time already, no wonder I felt sleepy a little bit at that moment.

Was planning to go to a live band bistro after supper but sadly, the bistro was full and we were not allow to go in, so in the end went back to hotel and at the same time, my camera went dead. Shit man!

Tags: hat yai, massage, Night, Night Market, Shopping, street, Thailand, Travel, trip
Posted in Lifelog, Shopping, Thailand, Travel | Comments

Afternoon Walkaround in Hat Yai City

Written by Nicholas Chan on January 24, 2010 – 9:02 pm -

After checking into the hotel, Novotel Central in Hat Yai, mom went to do her shopping on her own, dad went to look for massage and I was alone walking around on the street. It’s the downtown or city center of Hat Yai and it’s both tourist and locals populated area, everyone is here, very easy to roam around and I didn’t even have a map on my hand.

Right below my hotel is a shopping centre, Central. I didn’t went in to see, it’s a department store. Instead, I started off my walk from the shopping centre which is right across the street, Lee Garden. I was attracted by the large Lacoste logo and Apple logo. Cool, imagine such a small city has Lacoste and Apple. I only can find Lacoste in Kuala Lumpur here in my own country.

Enjoying the view and wind. =D

It’s nice to see people walking on the street. I always love happenings street and we usually can’t find it in Penang. Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur is happenings though. It’s not very hot in the afternoon, sun shines were blocked by the building so it’s shady.

Lee Garden is a very small shopping mall. I notice that most Hat Yai’s teenager and youngster come here to hang out just like I always go to Gurney Plaza with friends here in Penang.

Although it’s small, there’s many thing to see. The Lacoste shop is in there and Apple too! There’s little area in the mall called Idea Market, it’s like flea market and can see a lot of handmade stuff, and the best part is that it’s air-conned and pop music blasting around. Pretty cool.

Big prawn! Dare to eat?

I like coconut juice. Do you?

I didn’t really buy things because nothing interest me there. It’s just the same as in Phuket, Bangkok which I had visited several times before.

I only bought a mobile sim pack which was used to contact my parents and post photo to my Away From Computer.

Keep walking along the street and found another departmental store, Odean Shopping Mall. Although I am not a fan of departmental store, I did go in to take a look to see how different is their departmental store with us. Surprisingly, interior was not pretty but there’s many people inside and many brands too.

What to buy in Thailand? Thai made funny shirt, I have a few already so I was not interested. Fake AA imitation product? Even if I do buy, I don’t dare to take out also. Genuine FTW!

Food stalls are everywhere. Every few walks, you will see food stalls, cooked and not cooked. Thai’s street food seems delicious but I scared it’s not clean. I only drink coconut juice by the road side before only.

A motel’s lobby. A bit scary.

Walked a few street and things were the same. It’s just like an exercising walk for me on that afternoon, hanging a camera around my neck. For sure, I am a tourist there!

Cute kitty. Do you want to zh’ng (pimp) your car like that?

Walked until very far, didn’t know where was I but I still know the way back the hotel. I believe I walked to Kim Yong Market. There’s many things to see and I was just getting into it, and my mom called me for afternoon tea. Oh shit, didn’t get to roam the whole area.

Another thing I wanted to say is there’s many 7 Eleven convenience store in just a small area. Every few turn into different street, I saw 7 Eleven, I think I saw 3-4 7 Eleven outlets there.

Many fruits! Apple, you like?

I asked her to wait for a while before I was quite far away from her. Another 10 minutes walk only can reach her, she was at a coffee shop near Odean. =D

Tags: city, Downtown, Food, hat yai, Market, Shopping, street, Thailand, Travel, trip, walkaround
Posted in Lifelog, Thailand | Comments

I Like Bukit Bintang and Pavilion Shopping Mall

Written by Nicholas Chan on December 29, 2009 – 10:39 pm -

I went to Pavilion shopping mall on the second day and also the last day of my very short and fast Kuala Lumpur trip 2 weeks ago. After checking out from the hotel, had enough of shopping at 1Utama, dad brought us to Bukit Bintang.

Look at the LED electronic road sign. LOL

It’s still the same, jamming everywhere in Kuala Lumpur, guess that’s the uniqueness. He dropped us then he went to visit an exhibition in KLCC.

The trip was not really planned, it’s a shopping trip but we only went to two shopping mall, 1Utama and Pavilion which were pretty enough for us to shop and buy stuff for new year. In Western countries, they do Christmas shopping, as for us, we do Chinese New Year shopping, 6 weeks before Chinese New Year. =D

Police inspecting or buying?

Bukit Bintang is a very fun place in Kuala Lumpur, with so many shopping malls at this area like Lot 10, Sungai Wang Plaza, Lowyat Plaza, Berjaya Times Square and Pavilion. Where in Penang can find place like this?

Malaysia rocks!

Fakes.

But somehow, I have to said that Bukit Bintang still can’t fight with Singapore’s Orchard Rd and never will because Orchard Road is so well-planned, everyone like to walk on Orchard Road and all the shopping malls are beautiful, not like here’s, bad maintain and selling fake imitation stuff by the road side of Bukit Bintang. That’s bad. I don’t like this.

Pavilion is the best shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, beautifully design, many brands, many shops, spacious and bright. Although not as rocking as ION @ Orchard, still it’s nice. I like it.

Some Australian wearing like Scottish.

If Penang has such a mall, I pray for many people will go to it. The shopping demand in Penang is very low and people here tend to stay at home then go walking out on the street which made Penang not very happenings, there’s no street full of people, if it’s weekday, the shopping malls here are pretty quiet, it’s only get crowded on the weekends.

Bought a couple of shirts at there and walked around a lot. Love the people, love the shops.

Too many branded stuff, too expensive, I wish I am very rich, but if I am very rich, my demand will go higher already. So better stay what I am then earn a little bit of extra cash, so do support my sponsors on the right of the screen. Without sponsors, I wouldn’t be sharing so many already. =)

That night got stars from the movie of Bodyguard and Assassin, but I went home by evening, so didn’t get the chance to meet the star.

Do you like Pavilion? Where do you like to go for shopping in Kuala Lumpur?

Tags: Cool Stuff, fun, kl trip dec 09, kuala lumpur, Malaysia, Shopping, shopping mall, Travel, trip
Posted in Around Malaysia, Cool Stuff, Lifelog, Shopping | Comments

He Bought a Canon 500D

Written by Nicholas Chan on December 22, 2009 – 1:09 am -

Let’s talk about last week, I brought my brother to my favourite camera shop, the place where I bought my Canon EOS 400D.

I have been to a few camera shops to buy accessories, I realised that service is very important, there’s shop on Penang Road made me felt fucked up because the people simply quote me price and was so not honest, I don’t like that kind of service, I know what they are up to. So service is very important, be friendly to customer and they will come back again.

I personally recommends Matthew at Click N Snap if you are looking for camera accessories. Doing free advertising for him, wonder do I get any privilege or commission? Haha.

Brother wanted to look for a DSLR but he don’t want to buy in Singapore because the price here is cheaper. We spent like a few hours in the shop because he couldn’t make up his mind. After a long long consideration, he finally bought the Canon EOS 500D body with a Tamron 18-200 lens for RM3.5k.

I did not come home empty handed too, I bought a Chinese brand tripod, pretty solid, a clone to manfrotto. Tripod is a must need although we as a amateur don’t always use it.

Very random! Haha. Suddenly feel like want to buy new DSLR body. My current favourite body is the Canon EOS 7D which can shoot super nice HD video and pictures.

Tags: canon, Lifelog, Photography, Shopping
Posted in Lifelog, Photography, School Life, Shopping | Comments

Phuket Night Market and Streets

Written by Nicholas Chan on December 4, 2009 – 11:21 am -

My brother is now in Phuket with his friends and this reminded me that I still have some photos of my last Phuket trip haven’t share them with you guys. To make it simple, I’ll let the photos and captions talk.

I like Phuket, do you like Phuket?

Handmade keychains and armband.

Nice Starbucks promotion. I like!

They have this Thai boxing vehicle moving around to promote their Thai boxing event and some drunk kids climbed up “Thai Boxing WOOHOOO”.

Pubs with dancers. (Some) Thai girls do look good, but we always doubt whether they are a real she, or a she-man.

Street magic. This guy locked his arm on the pole, but somehow manage to get of the pole. Pro.

Jungceylon, nearest and biggest shopping mall near my hotel and Patong Beach. Got cinema and departmental stores. Nice place.

At night even got water show.

Saw a fight. Caucasian man vs Thai lady. Throwing of glass and shouting “Fuck you”. I was having dinner opposite and didn’t know what happen, the police came later. End of show.

Thailand-made and designed T-shirts. I have plenty but don’t really like to wear them now.

Usual Phuket’s street market.

Thai’s Starbucks tasted the same.

Tags: Night Market, patong beach, photolog, photos, Phuket, Shopping, Thailand, travel trip
Posted in Thailand, Travel | Comments