TKC 64-70 at Nik Mun's & Ani's

Yesterday at Nik Mun's in Subang Jaya
The 'gang'

The food - scrumptious blue nasi kerabu + + and for dessert, kopi luwak with akok + +

Then, at Ani's in Subang Permai
The 'gang' and friends

The food - yummylicious lamb & chicken mandi + +

Thank you Nik Mun & Ani for a great get together. (I seem to be lost for words, hence more visuals!)

A Stroll in the Taman Tasik Titiwangsa

Yellow bamboo by the Lake (CNB 2013)

Taman Tasik Titiwangsa in Jalan Temerloh is an oasis of green and serenity right in the middle of the city of Kuala Lumpur. Situated just behind the Istana Budaya and National Visual Arts Gallery, the city skyline from across the lake also include the KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers. M and I were there for the first time recently (yesterday, actually) and our stroll around the lake was indeed interesting because many trees there were in bloom. So for me it was more about photography in the great outdoors (than healthy exercise!).

The fountain and the KL city skyline (CNB 2013)

M at the start of our stroll around Lake Titiwangsa (CNB 2013)

The many flowering plants and trees contributing to the colours of the Taman Tasik Titiwangsa included pink Ixoras, yellow Saraca, white Pong-pong, the Rain tree, Bunga tanjung, etc.

A beautiful pong-pong tree by the lake (CNB 2013)

An old Rain tree (CNB 2013)

The end of my stroll around the lake (MB 2013)

But wait, its not the end yet. Here are just two of the colours (other than green) that I mentioned earlier.

Yellow Saraca (CNB 2013)

Pink Ixora (CNB 2013)

A Little Slice of Tokyo

Pretty pastel Mochi, Tokyo Street (CNB 2013)

Tokyo Street in the Pavilion Mall is a little slice of Tokyo in Malaysia. The family and our friend Negin walked around there for some Japanese vibes (after our TWG Tea rendezvous).

With Negin & M at Tokyo Street (BB 2013)

Giant paper cranes (CNB 2013)

A, B, M, N (Negin 2013)

18 August 2013 (In progress)

The Colours of TWG Tea

Colourful TWG Tea canisters (CNB 2013)

With our friend Negin, we found ourselves at the TWG Tea Salon & Boutique at Pavillion Kuala Lumpur recently. We were hiking in the forest at Kepong in the morning, so this was kind of a reward after all the hard work to lose some calories, ha ha! Actually somebody wanted to 'belanja', so we chose to be 'belanja-d' at the TWG Tea. Fair choice, me thinks. The food was delish - all infused with tea, tea and tea. The actual tea (drinks) list was so long and included teas I never even knew existed. The desserts were pretty and the service, we all agreed, was great.

With B and A (Negin 2013)

Negin and M (CNB 2013)

A's Wagyu beef burger (CNB 2013)

Somebody's foie gras (CNB 2013)

18 August 2013 (In progress)

A Hike in the Forest

On the Rover Track (CNB 2013)

For our recent Sunday outing we wanted a back-to-nature experience, and so chose to go to Kepong. To the 74-year-old FRIM or Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, one of the leading institutions in tropical forestry research in the world. There are so many 'attractions' here in this 600 hectares of regenerated forest - six different arboreta (collections of living trees), a canopy walkway, an ethno-botanic garden, the Kepong Botanical Gardens, nature trails, etc.

We were interested in trying the canopy walkway on this outing, but at the One-stop centre, we found out that it was closed*.  We decided to check it out anyway, so we walked along the 900m Rover track (dirt road) and then hiked up the 500m Canopy walkway trail to the entrance hut. The day was rather cloudy and when it looked like rain, we decided to take the same way down. Our hike along the trail was quite easy for B and A, even M, but I found parts of it 'difficult and arduous'.

Figs galore (CNB 2013)

The flora along the track & trail included what I could identify as hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree), ferns, and figs. Of course I could not identify so many, many more other plants and trees.

Fallen leaves along the Rover track (CNB 2013)     

It being midday, the fauna was not really 'out and about'. But we did come across a gang of macaque monkeys as we were driving around the FRIM grounds. The alpha male in the group ensured that all in his 'entourage' crossed the road safely before he hurried off after them. Quite a responsible fella!

Some facts about the fragile-looking Canopy walkway: located at Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve, it was built in 1992 (with aid from the German Agency for Technical Cooperation to a US design and built by the Temuan**) for the purpose of the scientific study of flora and fauna. The walkway spans 150m and is built on tree tops 30m above the ground. This walkway system consists of a strip of chengal planks placed on an aluminium ladder suspended by polyethylene netting and ropes from steel cables. The walkway and platforms are vantage points to experience a panoramic view of the forest and Kuala Lumpur area from a distance. The number of people allowed to 'canopy walk' per day is limited to 250 people.

Since the canopy walkway is closed for now, we only posed with it in the background. We will try again next time, and for me it will be quite a challenge! And of course there are the other 'attractions' in FRIM that beckon.

* The canopy walkway closure has been extended to 30 September 2013 for the annual maintenance work.
** The Temuan, an Orang Asli tribe, used to live here but have since moved. At times they return to harvest the forest products.
Note: 1. Be mindful of the fact that 'FRIM is not a public recreational park, but a R&D institution that opens its campus door to the public to enjoy the man-made forests'.  2. The (Titian) Canopy Walkway is featured  in the book Landmarks of Selangor, published by Jugra Publictions, 2003.
Ref: www.frim.gov.my    

A Classic Building, a New Mall

'A Paragon of shopping paradise' (CNB 2013)

We checked out the newest mall in Pulau Pinang during our recent island (Eid) holiday and found it half interesting. The interesting half is the heritage building of St Joseph Novitiate, restored and now housing cafes and such. The other half is the new modern mall with some outlets yet to open. The Gurney Paragon* fronts Gurney Drive, Jalan Kelawai being the other/back approach.

The facade of the St Joseph Novitiate (CNB 2013)

The 1925 Novitiate (quarters for novices) was part of the St Joseph's Training College founded by the De  La Salle Brothers (a Roman Catholic religious teaching order). In the early 80s the site was taken over by the Uplands International School. Then in 2004 the land was bought by Hunza Properties to build a high rise retail and residential project - the Gurney Paragon.

The back of the novitiate adjoining the shopping complex 

The novitiate approach into the shopping complex

The shops/outlets in this mall are just like in any other. The H & M store had newly opened, so guess who made a beeline for it? The clue? Not me, but someone with a distinct blue handbag.

Some shops at the Gurney Paragon (BB 2013)

* model of excellence or perfection of a kind (The Free Dictionary)
7 Aug 2013

A Mausoleum in Kg Melayu

The way to the Makam (CNB 2013)

What lies in our own backyard always seems to be ignored as we list all the places and their natural/man-made attractions we'd like to see before we die.  And the Makam Sheikh Omar (Sheikh Omar Mausoleum) is one such historic building in our Pulau Pinang backyard.   

Sheikh Omar Basheer Al Naqhshahbandy Al Khalidi (d. 1881), originally from Hadramawt, Yemen was a famous 19th century Naqhshabandi Sufi leader in Pulau Pinang. He had introduced special tariqah* practice called suluk which emphasises on seclusion. He also mediated during the Penang riots of 1867.

During my teens in Ayer Itam, I remember seeing his grandson Haji Fathil bin Sheikh Zakaria Basheer when we were neighbours. Sheikh Omar's tomb in Kampong Melayu, Ayer Itam lies under a 35-foot white tower built by Muslim labourers from India. This mausoleum is cited as the largest and most handsome of mausoleums in Pulau Pinang. It is regularly visited by Naqshbandi followers.

The mausoleum (CNB 2013)

The mausoleum and the graveyard (CNB 2013)

During the recent Eid holidays, with my brothers MN & AW, we visited our mother's grave at the Al-Kadrie mosque. Then later we went to the Mausoleum where beside it is a graveyard where my brother's (MN) wife SMA and son WHB, also his father & mother-in-law are buried. We found the mausoleum building most neglected, where even the signboard was truly dilapidated. I guess better upkeep and a new coat of paint is certainly required.

The grave of Sheikh Omar (CNB 2013)

*Tariqah - 'way, path'; a system of rites for the spiritual training of a Sufi order; any of the Sufi orders (Dictionary.com)
ref: lisanaldin.blogspot.com