Things to do in KL

 At the moment- and for the rest of the year-Nothing!

2020 Pub Quiz Guide

Monday-Healy Macs Changkat Bukit Bintang-A great bar with some of the best customer service you will find in KL.The Quiz is really just for fun and meanders a little and generally starts late and finishes late. Has a great atmosphere. I think this is now the only bar on Changkat that holds a regular quiz.
Further out of town at Publica Shopping Mall,Sri Hartamas their sister outlet has a more professional quiz.

Tuesday-Healy Macs Bangsar- the newest outlet holds a pub quiz on Tuesday nights which can be a little more taxing for your brain cells.

Trying to justify the taxi fare increase....

‘Necessary to raise cab fares’From The Star....

by patrick lee 

KUALA LUMPUR: The taxi industry might have come to a halt if fares were not raised, warned the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).
Its chief executive Mohd Nur Ismal Mohd Kamal said if fares remained stagnant, drivers, burdened by rising costs, would have eventually “turned on” their passengers.
“We were already hearing (acts of) activism among taxi drivers and seeing them accustomed to doing whatever they wanted,” he said at SPAD headquarters here yesterday.
This included blocking traffic whenever SPAD carried out enforcement action against them, which might have deteriorated into fighting and insulting riders in the long run.

Mohd Nur was responding to public complaints over the higher taxi fares announced by SPAD on Thursday.
Taxi drivers, he added, faced a 33% overall cost increase to their operations since 2009, which was when fares were last raised.
This, he said, had led to drivers merely being able to earn RM970 a month (after deducting costs) if they only used their meters, forcing some to overcharge customers.
“This is why many of them will not follow rules. It doesn't do them justice," he said.
Some drivers, he said, were even cutting back on costs by skimping on maintenance and buying inferior parts to raise their take-home pay.
“With this new scheme, the driver can take home RM2,600 (a month) after 12 hours of work a day,” he said, adding that this also meant that SPAD now had the moral mandate to suspend errant drivers.
He said a large majority of drivers would break laws out of necessity, which SPAD wanted to change.
Asked on coming changes to further regulate taxi drivers, Mohd Nur said measures included a total conversion to the brown Proton Exora models, surveillance monitoring and ultimately, courteous drivers.
He said the Centralised Taxi Service System, which would track taxis via satellite, would be ready by year's end.
Defending the hike, he said few rides would see customers spending more than 40% extra with the new taxi fares.
This amount, he argued, might only be reached if rides exceeded the 10km mark, adding that 70% of all trips in the Klang Valley were below this distance.
“(We're trying to) limit it (taxis) to short distances. We want to encourage the first step to taking the trains as the main mode,” he said, adding that SPAD was trying to integrate all the train networks and coming up with cashless ticketing as well as discounts for users taking different types of transport.
SPAD, he said, was also looking into expanding the user-based MeterOn smartphone app (to report errant taxis) to include express buses.
As of Thursday, taxi fares were raised with immediate effect while trains and express buses would see their new fares up from May 1 and May 15.

Chinese New Year 2014, Gong Xi Fai Cai !

Update on Beer Prices...

After my last post I'm pleased to announce that Gypsy Bar have reverted to more sensible pricing at RM 13 net for a mug of Tiger after 9 pm...whilst it's RM 10 before 9 pm.
There are still some good deals to be had along Changkat Bukit Bintang but you have to shop around.
A lot of bars now do volume deals-buy 1 get 1 free, buy 2 get 1 free etc etc.
To be honest it gets a bit confusing as it takes quite a while to read the drinks menu and if you're standing outside you get a barrage of noise with waiters shouting various offers at you.
The deals are good if you get to a bar early and plan to stay there but not so good for bar-hopping.
The economy this year is supposed to be a bit tough so we can expect either a few little price wars for competition along the street or everybody increasing their prices in an attempt to cover reduced margins ,rising costs and fewer customers.....Certainly the recent Xmas/New Year festivities were somewhat muted...it remains to be seen what 2014 will bring,
I certainly don't want to see bars forced to close but then again, I want a value-for-money beer where you know the bar is not profiteering.....

1865

Yep,1865.
That number might signify the year of President Lincoln's assassination-or the end of the US Civil War.
But No!
It's the price of a mug of Tiger at Gypsy Bar after 9pm!!!
That's right, RM 18.65.
For a mug.
You're the mug!
There was a time when Gypsy was one of the best value bars on Changkat Bukit Bintang-and to be fair, you can still get some good deals if you arrive before 9 pm of RM 10 for a mug or RM 50 for 5 bottles of Tiger-But after 9 pm-Wow!
You get punished.
Big time.
It's now one of the more expensive watering holes-more expensive then even Healy Macs, or Havana.
Now, I can understand paying a high price if the surroundings are a bit well, swanky-or if they lay-on a good band or even if the place is full of beautiful people and supermodels..
But, come on ! It's only a bar-nothing special at all.
You can get much more reasonable pricing at Front Page, Sutra, Ceylon Bar, Racks or the two-dozen or so other bars on the street......

Pub Quizzes in Kuala Lumpur.

A good way to spend an evening in KL is to enter a local pub quiz...I've been doing this for about 4 years now and have to say that it's getting more and more popular.
Come as a team of 3 or 4-or play solo.
The quiz scenes has peaks and troughs-and right now it seems to be a peak.
Sometimes it's OK just to sit in a bar and watch someone somewhere in the world hit a ball with a bat on the Sports TV screen ,or even just to admire the local scenery in the bar that you're at-but at other times it's good to have a bit of mental stimulation.
The quizzes vary in difficulty from place-to-place...Usually there is a RM 10 joining fee.
Quizzes usually start at around 9pm Malaysian rubber-time!
Here's a quick guide to a few:

Monday
Sutra Bar on Changkat Bukit Bintang.
Level-Fairly Easy 5 rounds (sports/general/music/entertainment)
Prize-A bottle of scotch! plus  2 beers to share for all round winners.
Overview-I'm not too sure about this Bar...the mostly male staff, although not unfriendly are indifferent at best.
It doesn't get too crowded and the quiz night coincides with their Ladies Night.
Sometimes the music can be so loud that you need to leave straight afterwards.
Beer price RM 11 for a mug

Healy Macs Changkat Bukit Bintang
Used to be 'the daddy" of the quiz scene and now after a few months break, it's back.
Level-Moderate to (sometimes very) Difficult.
5 rounds covering just about everything.
Prize A Bottle of vodka for 1st...2 Buckets of beer for 2nd...1 bucket for 3rd
Plus round winners win a bucket of beer.(5 bottles)
The most generous alcoholic prizes helps offset the rather expensive draft beer (RM 14-16) but only if you are lucky enough to win a round. And then you have the nice problem of what to do with even more booze at the end of the night....
An ideal setting for a pub quiz because , well-it's a pub!

Tuesday
Ceylon Bar Changkat Bukit Bintang
Level-a bit tough  3 rounds plus problems to solve during the quiz (anagrams/dingbats etc)
A bit more academic
Prize-a Bottle of Vodka for the winner-spot questions win individual beers
Overview-Unfortunately the layout means that if you're not sitting at the bar it can be a struggle to view the one TV monitor.
Nice bar though.And Interesting questions.
Beer price RM 14 a mug

Pound Bar TTDI
Level Easy to Moderate
5 Rounds
Prize-a bottle of vodka plus round winners get 2 beers to share.
Individual jackpot question for cash.
I haven't been here yet-I hear it's a bit crowded and smokey- busy and gets about 12 teams.

GridIron Jalan Telawi 2 Bangsar
Level Difficult to Bloody Impossible!
Prize RM 150 for the winner, bottle of wine for 2nd
plus round winners get RM 50,2nd place round winners get a pint of Tiger.
Play as an individual (but you can discuss with the people next to you)
3 rounds-all multiple choice General/Academic Knowledge
Unlike most other places where you pay RM 10 per person to enter the quiz, this one is free!
Beer price is RM 16.25 per mug! yikes....only worth it if you win a round!
A big bar with friendly staff and a TV monitor wherever you look.
One of the only bars left in Bangsar.

Wednesday
Gypsy Bar Changkat Bukit Bintang
Level Easy to Moderate
Prize Bottle of Vodka or sometimes Wine depending on how many people participate.
Round winners get to share 2 beers.
If there are enough participants a final individual jack-pot round wins cash-usually around RM150-200 but can roll-over to accumulate.
Most people who go to Gypsy do not have a pub quiz on their mind-sometimes there are more non-participants and distractions than there are team players.
Every time I come here now, there are at least 2 new male members of staff. Gypsy must have the highest staff-turnover on the street-and seems to be replacing their serving girls with guys!-call me sexist but I prefer a bar staffed by barmaids!Oh,.and at times the draught beer can be almost undrinkable but to be fair, it's been OK these last few visits.
The quiz can start very late,after 10 pm, and seems like the quizmaster is in a rush to finish before it gets too chaotic.
And it can get very noisy
But can be good fun as well!
Beer Price RM 11 a mug (RM 8 for a bottle of Tiger before 9pm!)


Thursday
Front Page Changkat Bukit Bintang
Level Easy to Moderate
5 Rounds
Prize A Bottle of Wine for the winner...Round winners get to share 2 beers.
Fairly laid back and chilled-out most people sit outside.
Nice atmosphere.
It's getting more competitive with around 5 or 6 teams (sometimes some very large teams!)
Front Page is packed when there is live sports on....during the week it's quieter
Beer RM 10 a mug (RM 10 a pint before 9pm!) Best value on the street...I think.


Healy Macs Sri Hartamas
Similar to the Changkat outlet but smaller.
Same format.
Quite popular

Friday
Never Mine Changkat Bukit Bintang
Level East to Moderate
5 Rounds pop culture,music and sport
Prize A bottle of Wine for the winners pus round winners get to share 2 beers,
(Attempts to)Start a bit earlier than the others (around 8.30ish) to make way for live and loud music from 10pm.
Can be a bit sparse of participants as a lot of pub-goers just want to unwind and talk loud nonsense on a Friday (nothing wrong with that!)

Saturday
Moon Bar Plaza Damansara
Level Easy to Moderate
5 Rounds
Prize A bottle of wine or vodka for the winner plus round winners get to share 2 beers.
A very quite place out in the suburbs usually not too many participants,,,but if you're in the neighbourhood-Why Not? Gets a bit too smokey inside and you can't quite see the screens or hear properly if you're outside.
Beer Price RM 10 for a mug of Tiger.

So there you have it-If you're a real trivia fiend you can plan your week using the info above...otherwise just turn-up and see how good/lucky you are.
Remember, there are no hard or easy questions-you either know the answer-or you don't.

Happy New Year 2013!

Merry Christmas 2012!

a

A little more classy this year!
Usually I find the Xmas decor in the Shopping Malls a little,well, over-the-top and the majority of displays look like they have been thrown-in with a shovel.
This year seems that my message has gotten across

either that or I have been here too long and have succumbed to the tackiness of the usual displays but "Less is More" seems to be working for the malls this year... 

Merry Christmas!

Probably the Best Indian Food in Kuala Lumpur

......can be found in the most unlikely place.
Situated just behind a car-park, crowded by construction sites just off Changkat Bukit Bintang, down-a-bit from Somerset Condo is a small stall dishing-up what is probably the Best Indian Food you'll find in Kuala Lumpur.
Local  Malaysian born ethnic Indians tell me that the food is "like my mum makes"
A full (almost over-flowing) plate of rice with a few other dishes will set you back about RM 6.50.
The price has increased a little since I wrote about it here! but not too much.
I would still say that after 10 years of eating here it is one of the best value-for-money lunches to be had in KL.
Simply load-up with rice and then serve yourself from the selection of meat, fish and vegetable dishes.
Friday lunchtimes are a little more "vegetarian" as the choice of veggies widens but there is always some lamb, chicken or seafood to select.
I would highly recommend the calamari-and the "Friday-only" potato cakes.

It doesn't look much-but the food is great!

Parking Problems on Changkat Bukit Bintang

Now,here's a guy who will go to any length to avoid the extortion service provided by the Car Jockeys!

If I drive into town on an evening during the week I can usually find somewhere to park near the offices towards Jalan Raja Chulan...But weekends,forget it..The Car Jockeys "cone-off" every available space on Raja Chulan and surrounding roads and charge RM 10 to "look after" your car.
We all know that this is bloody extortion but they are allowed by those in power to get away with it.
In fact, as the street gets more and more busy..their illegal empire expands....Guess we just have to put-up with it.
I don't.
I park somewhere else.

The mini on top of the "Magnificent Fish and Chip Bar" is actually for "Mini Bar" a new joint that they are opening upstairs...looks a bit "mod"....

Other Developments...

"Finnegans" has shut-down..well, it was the only empty bar on the street at 11pm and has been taken-over by the guys behind "Never Mine" a few doors down and will open in September as a Sports Bar and Grill.
Let's hope that the beer price is reasonable.

Tabla Restaurant, just round the corner from Havana will soon be re-opening as a "Deep Blue Sea" themed restaurant/bar.

Flams is shut for a major refurbishment

And a new bar that supposedly will offer "The best value for money on the street" is set to open shortly opposite the Radius Hotel...

At least there may be a few different types of place to check-out....

Changkat Bukit Bintang

I've written about this street more than anything else and for good reason too as it probably contains the best bars and restaurants and all-round entertainment outlets in Kuala Lumpur.
Thing is,  now I kinda love to hate it.
When I heard that the Green Man had recently celebrated it's 10th anniversary it got me thinking about the rapid and irreverseable  metamorphosis the street has undergone.
I moved into KL about a month before the Green Man opened and it looks to me that they still have exactly the same furniture,bars,chairs tables (and owners attitude!) as they did when they first opened.
It's about the only thing that hasn't changed and has stayed stubbornly and exactly the same on the street in the last 10 years.
However, even The Green Man now has tables and chairs on the pavement....they resisted the idea for so long but have now succumbed.
Old hands like me can always say "Oh, yeah..I remember when there were only 4 or 5 bars on this street-now look at it"-but so what?
It is what it is.
But what got me thinking was this;
If you've been down the street a few of times you will by now have chosen a couple of places that you like
You may not know why you like them-but you do and you tend to gravitate towards one bar or another.
There are too many places to list here but if you go early enough you'll find enough bars/restaurants to cater to your tastes and each establishment has a different feel and a different look.

They all have their own character.
There's now even a sort-of-African Bar down at the end of the street opposite the 7-Eleven so you can't say that the street doesn't cater for a very wide clientele.Spanish-style theme  at the top,then Italian, English, Irish, Japanese, Chinese and local/international all rub shoulders with one another....(I'm just waiting for someone to open an Iranian bar designed to look like it was from Tehran in the 70's to cater to the Middle East tourist market!)

But.....
by around 11pm when things start to get louder and louder and more frantic and over-crowded and the masses descend desperately looking for a good time...well, it all starts to look exactly the same wherever you look.
It doesn't matter what bar you're at. It could be anywhere. They're. All. The. Same.
As many patrons choose to sit outside, the entertainment becomes the street itself and not what's happening inside the bar.
So, it doesn't really matter where you go-you're going to end up with the same homogenized mass-produced night-out wherever you go....
There seems to be a definite lack of imagination from the bar owners.
They come-up with different styles but in a very narrow framework
Maybe because the rents are so high that they cannot afford to experiment or think outside the box....but what happened to all those quirky bars built around funny themes that were around in the 80's or 90's...you know what I mean? Like the Stock Market Bars built around the demand of certain drinks where the price would fluctuate or Sports Bars or Fun Pubs or a Beach-bar or the rustic looking French or Spanish Bar?
These days they all look at bit too 'corporate" like they are all franchises or something...

Right.... grumble over-does, anyone fancy a beer? See you on the street!

Taxi!

Another grab from The Star newspaper...

I don't really think I need to comment....

THE first thing passengers see when getting into Syed Zahid Syed Abdullah’s taxi are the neatly arranged toy cars and action figures all around the vehicle.

Zahid has 1,155 toy cars and figurines in his taxi which he has been collecting for the past six years.

He has spent about RM15,000 so far and his latest collection is only two weeks old.

Zahid said it took a day to put together the toys inside his taxi using super glue and adhesive tape.

Syed Zahid in his taxi.

“It all began with the free Ferrari cars from Shell and later it became a passion and the collection grew.

“There were too many to keep and so I decided to share my hobby with people.

“I have been driving the taxi since 1997 and I thought this will be a great way to attract passengers.

“The toys have been good for business while some call my hobby crazy.

“There was one passenger from India, who even gave me an auto rickshaw to add to my collection. Although I may not know all the names of the toys but I remember every colour and model,” he said.

Zahid said he would remind his passengers that they had to pay extra if their children damaged any of his toys.

Master of the universe: Ultraman figurines and Hot Wheels cars are glued to the dashboard.

“I usually carry spare toy cars for the children to play when they come into my taxi. I also check every month to see if the toys are all in place and well secured.

“When I first started this, my wife did not talk to me for a week but she eventually came around because she knew that it was more than just a hobby.

“Even my daughters know well enough and not touch anything.

“There are passengers who have offered to buy the toys. If I were to sell it to an enthusiast, I would probably opt for selling the whole car,” he said.

He said a lot of passengers would promote his taxi via Facebook or twitter when they get back home.

For those who want to catch a glimpse or ride in Zahid’s taxi, he usually picks up his passengers in front of the Grand Millenium Hotel in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

No,wait..I have to comment...There is no taxi stand at the Grand Millenium on Bukit Bintang...what you normally see are about 25 taxis parked all along Bukit Bintang effectively blocking one of the lanes and contributing to the traffic jam.This,along with the taxis parked at the hotels and malls on the opposite side of the street make it a 2 lane road instead of 4.

It's also where it is very,very unusual to find a taxi that will stick to the metre....what most of them want to do is to charge you or an unsuspecting tourist RM 50 for a trip to KLCC.... 

So,when you next sit in the traffic jam,at least you can be comforted by the fact that some obsessive-compulsive taxi driver blocking the road ahead has filled his cab with toys...

St. Patrick's Day 2012

Just to show that last year was not a fluke Guinness got their act together again this year to organise a street party on Changkat Bukit Bintang.

I had no idea that St. Patrick was so popular as about 8,000-10,000 people descended on the street hell-bent on having a good time.
It was hot, damn hot! and chaotic and too crowded and noisey but it looked like Guinness had employed every tall,thin Chinese girl they could find in KL to work for them as a promoter..so no complaints from me on that one!
If you were in the mood you probably had a great night....friends of mine finished their last drink at around 6am the following morning but I just don't have the stamina for that anymore...(if i ever did)
Closing the street to traffic seemed to work just fine..sure, leaving was chaos but it is every Friday and Saturday. As I've said before it should be done every weekend.
The only people who would be against it would be the territory-hungry car jockeys who take-up more and more space along the side streets every month.

Good Beer vs Bad Beer

Regular readers will by now have deduced that I enjoy a beer or two...what I don't enjoy  is the hangover that potentially greets me the next morning.
After years of "research" I was hit with a startling discovery- (I won't say how many beers as some of you will think I'm a bit of a lightweight,while others may think I'm a bit of an alcoholic) How come I can drink exactly the same amount of draught beer and sometimes get a really head-splitting hangover one night and then a few days later after another night-out, I can wake-up feeling fine.Well,fine-ish anyway.

From a scientific viewpoint I know it's all about your mood,state of health and diet but also I think it may have something to do with the venue and the quality and freshness of the beer they serve.
To put it simply,the cheaper the beer, the worse the potential headache next morning while if the beer is a bit on the pricey side...less of a bad head the next morning.
After discussing this with other "experts"....we came up with a not very scientific list...

Good Beer Places

• Hard Rock Cafe (sells more Carlsberg than anywhere else in town)
• The Green Man
• Healy Macs
• Magnificent Fish and Chip/Havana/Racks (same owners)
• Twenty One
• Ceylon Bar
• Any random very expensive rooftop bar (G Tower,Luna,Traders-all look the same to me) 
• Aloha
• Finnegans
• Spritz
• Hotel Lounges/Hotel Bars (if you can afford them!)

This list is by no means complete- I'm sure there are a lot more.... .

Now onto the very subjective and anecdotal...

Bad Beer Places;

• Gypsy (still my favourite bar,so I must be a masochist!)
• Nevermine
• Sutra
• Reggae Bar
• Overtime (unfair to include them really as they don't serve Carlsberg or Tiger-they serve their own horrible concoction)
• Thai Club
• Rum Jungle
• Beach Club (but the bottled beer is fine)
• Bearded Clam (situated in Ampang Point,quite possibly the worse bar in KL!)

At times the beer in some of these establishments can be OK-whilst at other times it can taste like someone else has already drunk it.
Whether it's down to storage,cleanliness of apparatus.cleanliness of glasses or staleness of beer,mixing of slops... I just don't know...at least the bottled beer has a consistency.

I'm sure there are others out there....so feel free to add your own......

Lake Gardens

Huh? get up at 6.30am? on a Saturday? When I don't need to?

What kind of idiot does that?
An idiot who wants to be a little bit fitter, that's who!
Many of us begin a new year with a commitment to "get a bit fitter".
It seemed that the whole world and his wife was at Lake Gardens the other Saturday morning.
Some embrace fitness, other just nod at it from across the lake!
Partly to keep, or start getting fitter and partly because well, there isn't really anywhere else to go, the place gets really packed.
As a city, KL is almost devoid of any big green space for joggers or walkers.
Viewed from above, say from KL Tower, the city looks very green but at ground level, this illusion disappears and all you have beneath your feet is concrete.
I can think of only a few places where you can actually walk on grass (not counting the little strip outside Lot 10 when the security staff aren't looking!) and they would be KLCC Park, KL Tower and Lake Gardens.
KL Tower is a bit too strenuous and steep for me most, so the other two places get mobbed during weekend early mornings...
Lake Gardens is very friendly as people jog, run or walk around the lake wishing "Good Morning" to one-and-all-and the fitter people can tackle some of the steeper hills-but it gets packed.
Arriving at around 7am it was surprisingly cool-and doesn't feel like a city at all but at 7.45am all the car-parks are full and people start parking on the narrow,twisting roads.
Too bad if you're jogging on the road as now you have to navigate parked cars plus moving traffic.
The path around the lake is a pleasant 2.5km track and there are a few different species of birds and trees to look at to take your mind off the ungodly hour.
A few steep paths radiate from the lake going past a goat farm and a deer park.
You can also see a 1950's era motorboat! at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Museum at the top of the hill.
Lake Gardens is actually quite a well-landscaped, artificial-ish oasis in the heart of KL.
As usual, with most Malaysian sites, except for some toilets and a dodgy-looking cafe there are few facilities and so many people bring a picnic as a reward for making it around the lake...a great way to pile on the calories after shedding one-or-two....at least I waited until we were on the way home before stopping for some curry noodles!
Best to get there before 7am as it starts to get light, take some water with you but some enterprising people set-up stalls selling bottled water.
And, it's probably best enjoyed without a hangover!

Elevated Walkways

 A fully air-conditioned RM100mil pedestrian walkway linking Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) and Bukit Bintang is now open.

It seems like it's been under construction for about 3 years at least...but at least it looks solid and  is so over-engineered that it's probably able to withstand a direct nuclear strike.

It's also very ugly.

Ugly in a "Soviet-style architecture" sort-of-way.

The walkway includes a 562m long and five-metre wide elevated walkway that traverses through the busy, traffic-choked areas of Jalan Pinang, Jalan Perak and Jalan Raja Chulan with escalator and staircase entry and exit points at strategic and convenient locations.It doesn't quite reach to Raja Chulan monorail station,which is a bit of a shame.

The elevated section links the KL Convention Centre to Pavilion shopping Centre

Another portion is made up of a pedestrian tunnel from the concourse level of the convention centre which now links to the existing tunnel to the Suria KLCC shopping complex.

So you can now walk in aircon comfort from one huge shopping mall to another big huge shopping mall.

On The Comeback-Trail

So,this is where it begins.....

After disappearing and faking his own death back in '77, Elvis has decided to come out of hiding and begin his musical comeback.
And what better place to start than Healy Macs on Changkat Bukit Bintang.
He does look a little different and he did speak with an Oirish Accent but the crowd didn't seem to mind one bit.
His voice wasn't quite as good either but that was compensated for by his enthusiasm and stage-craft.
It was cheesy and tacky-and everbody knew it but that didn't stop anyone from having a good ole singalong and joining in the fun.
Elvis will be around for another week or so before heading back to Gracelands but as we were leaving Healy Macs, my attention was drawn to a poster advertising an appearance by Lady Gaga (whoever he is) in the near future......interesting.

Happy New Year!...I SAID, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I think I just may be getting a little too old for this......maybe.
I don't mind the crowds and the hustle and bustle of a New Year's Eve party.

After all,that's what it's all about really.
It's the very,very loud music that annoys me.
Really annoys me.
All along Changkat Bukit Bintang the bars compete for custom by playing music to entice us punters inside.
I don't have a problem with that just so long as I can actually talk to people sitting at my table or at the bar.
And,as the hours tick by,the volume increases until you find yourself shouting at the top of your voice just to be heard by the guy sitting next to you.
And there are times when you sit outside Gypsy or Healy Macs and you hear the music from 4 or 5 other bars combine to  produce the most annoying racket.

I know this all sounds a bit "bar-humbug" and you could say if I don't like the loud music go somewhere else. But I do actually like the music.
It's just way too loud.
The problem is that the DJ's just keep turning the volume up on the hour,every hour until the sound is actually very distorted as the loudspeakers in most establishments are domestic,designed for home-use and are not capable of taking the punishment.
Even on a "normal" weekend I've lost count of how many times I have tell them to turn it down.
New Year's Eve was much too loud,much too soon.
And...if you visit any of these bars the style of music that they play early (mainly oldies and rock) suddenly turns into full-on dance music at midnight. Why? The clientele is the same as it was at 11pm.
You can now see that more people chose to sit outside the bars, even on the pavement because inside it is too noisy-and all that happens is that the DJ turns it up even louder so that the guys outside can hear it.
If we wanted loud music we would all be in a club somewhere (where the loudspeakers can cope and don't distort)
And,don't get me started on the RM 50 cover charge that many bars introduced for New Year's Eve.....

Christmas In KL

At this time of year the Shopping Malls are covered in Xmas Decorations.
No surprises there.
In Kuala Lumpur it's usually a case of "more is better" as most malls cannot resist going way over-the-top. When it comes to creating that perfect display they add everything and the kitchen-sink and end-up with a bit of a dogs breakfast and a display that looks like it's been thrown together with a shovel.
See last year's comments here!
However,This year Pavilion has done something a little different.

A display of 150 Bears outside (one for each country that bothered to participate) creates quite an interesting installation,with each bear decorated in a unique style by an artist of that country...Some have clearly put in a lot of effort whilst other countries that couldn't really be bothered (but you be the judge of that) have just splashed on a bit of paint and left it at that.
I quite like it.
Once inside the shopping centre I feared the worst as I was greeted by the usual mess of confusing styles and themes but when I had a look at the centre-piece I was pleasantly surprised...

It kinda works......

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!