The Beauty of Flying

Going up, up and above the clouds somehow gives a euphoric feeling.

In the same way as when I am on a long distance bus travel, the longer the flight means a longer chance to sit and introspect. These are the moments when I truly appreciate the beauty of flying and traveling in general.

And of course you get to see the literal beauty up there as the wings of the aircraft slice through the fluffy white clouds in the bright blue sky. The red-orange rays of the sun give an added life to the flight and surely a great view for the shutter-bugs on board. No matter how many sunrises and sunsets I have seen, I still feel in awe.

Oh yes, I am going home and spending the holiday with the family. Happy new year!

VivoCity Christmas Express

The base of the Christmas tree at VivoCity is a detailed picture of an old train station wrapped around it.

Sparkling

To experience an aerial view of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, you have to go up the Menara KL viewing deck.

There is a long queue in going up there, but it is worth waiting as you'll be dazed by a beautifully-sculptured glass crystal ceiling of the elevator lobby.

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One Stop View of the City

It is great to be up there!

Kuala Lumpur Tower or Menara KL as locally called is one of the tallest standing structures in the world. It is utilized for telecommunications purposes and for tourism. It is open to the public, but you have to pay for RM 47. The price of entry, however, is worth the view plus it gives you a pass to an animal zoo and a small cultural village.

Tourists visit the tower for a panoramic view of the entire city. There is a revolving restaurant in it but a bit pricey. Big sets of binoculars are available on the observation deck. And during  night time, the ubiquitous Petronas Towers glow like a crystal gem. They are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!

One thing I realized though is that it does not feel good to go there by yourself. I guess it is just me, but probably also because it's a holiday and I am alone away from home.

Merry Christmas!

VivoCity Christmas Tree

This towering tree is found at the rooftop of VivoCity, a shopping center, in Singapore. It is very tall that it can bee seen from the neighboring island of Sentosa.

Apparently, a rainy afternoon like today isn't the best time to take a picture of any Christmas tree.

Plaza Low Yat

A Christmas Tree at Plaza Low Yat

This is a Christmas tree right at the steps of the entrance of Plaza Low Yat in Kuala Lumpur. Plaza Low Yat is a shopping centre which is commonly referred to as PLY. It specializes in IT and electronic products found within Bukit Bintang area. This is the place where I got a replacement charger for my digicam.

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Power Plugs

One thing you should know about Malaysia: Most of the electrical sockets or outlets here, if not all, look like this.

These are the G-type sockets. They are also called British BS-1363 type. They usually come with a switch that you need to manually turn on and off which is something I like about it the most. So if your appliances' plugs do not match the shape of these receptacles, you will then need a travel adapter. Something I failed to bring.

I have a travel plug adapter back home, which is like universal that comes with a surge protector  but I forgot to bring it with me. What was I thinking? I also miss to pack my camera's charger which actually cost me around 250 RM to buy a new one. But later I found out that what I got is not a real Canon charger. It's made in China, the same as the ones you can get from Divi in Manila except that this one is 10 times the price.

Being stupid and complacent really can be expensive.

Start the morning right, eat banana

Montel bananas here are not as big as the Dole bananas we have back home but taste just the same.

Kopi Adikshun

Old Town White Coffee at Brickfields, KL

For a sucker of coffee like me, this Old Town White Coffee shop right across the hotel I am staying in at Brickfields will not be spared. Just like how I get easily duped in books stores (see previous post) wherever I may be in the world, the sight of a nice coffee shop gives me somewhat of a hallucinogenic effect and excitement of getting in. I am not really a coffee addict. I can live a day or two without it, but I just could not contain the delightfulness when there is a chance to have a cup.  And so just before any second thoughts  rolled around my head, I found myself sitting inside ordering something, just to experience it.

It's a good cup of coffee -- it's nothing special except it's less expensive than Starbucks; and since it is from here, I can say that I have tasted something local.

Yep, I'm truly a coffee sucker.

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A Stop at a Shoten

Kinokuniya at Suria KLCC

Whoops! It's a book store. :D

Kinokuniya is a Japanese shoten or a  book store chain in Asia and in some parts of the US. There is none yet in the Philippines though. So when I saw it from afar, from my way up, from the escalator, I hurriedly went inside to, well... check  what's inside.

Seriously, I think I need some help in this aspect. Whenever I see a book store, expect that a bulk of my day will be wasted. You'll find me wandering through the book section and browsing around.

Kinokuniya in KLCC is so far the best book store I have been to in Malaysia. It has a wide range of titles from all over the world and the manga section is impressive. The ambiance is good too as there is a cafe inside. If only I was not in a hurry to catch a flight, I could have hung out there the entire day.

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Starstruck in a Chinese Way

Jackie Chan in Sentosa for CZ12

Seeing a movie star in Singapore is not hard as it may seem.

While walking around Sentosa this afternoon, a red carpet being carefully prepped at the ground floor of Resorts World got me curios. I was told that Jackie Chan's Chinese Zodiac 12 gala premiere, his last action film according to reports, is going to be shown here tonight!

I was around, so I decided that I might just as well wait for his arrival and join the starstruck crowd and
do some fangirling take some pictures of him. I have never seen him in person, but his movies are widely  shown in cinemas and on TV in the Philippines. I was kind of hungry at that time but the program started before I could even decide of going somewhere else.

There are a couple of Chinese actors and actresses too that delighted the audience. Sadly, I did not understand a thing. Everything was in Chinese.

For the most part, though, Jackie was entertaining.

And that concluded my Singa-mall walk today.

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A Great Day Ahead

Good morning! Yes, I am in Baguio again.

Squeezing in a sudden business trip on a weekend before my planned vacation is kind of frantic and tiring. With only so much time available to get everything done for this, and for a flight I am supposed to be preparing for this very weekend.

It makes such a difference, though, if you are able to rest and sleep well. The Manor's atmosphere does exactly what I need. It provides an ideal base for a peaceful and leisurely trip.

I had a good night sleep and I am now ready for another long journey back to Manila.

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