Month: May 2017

A Jakun Moment: A Look At Classy Solitary Confinement.

I was inside the glass bubble lift of the exclusive Prince Court Medical Centre, a five or six star, private hospital in Kuala Lumpur. When I reached the ground floor, I thought I was at the KLIA airport foyer. The lobby is that sprawling. A Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf shop and a MyNews.com magazine and convenience store complete the illusion of an airport. On a wall next to the visitors’ seating area were all kinds of framed awards, recognition certs and citations hanging, leading me to believe I am at the lobby of an insecure advertising agency. If you ever been to an ad agency, you will know what I mean.

I went to visit a good friend who was scheduled for a spinal cord or backbone surgery costing RM140 000 to be paid for by insurance claims. Makes my recent hospital stay of RM 85 000 at at a non-elitist private hospital (courtesy of insurance too but I had to cough out an “excess” from my own pocket, leaving me bankrupt at a time when I can’t work. Much like car insurance accident claims) The charges for both hospitals looked like shopping at 99 Speedmart versus Ben’s BIG.

Shockingly, another private hospital in Jalan Ampang quoted my friend even higher. Pays to shop around as many people do not realise insurance is not a bottomless pit. There is always an accumulating limit to money claimed. Spinal cord surgery is very risky, highly specialised and rightfully expensive. On the the other hand, I see a disturbing trend on social media where people are going to this hospital for childbirth, using selfies with the baby as humble brags since geo tags are used for every shot.

One thing, I felt right away during the visit (at 10:30 pm) was that it is a very lonely place for an adult patient. No other patients and visitors were visible from the very private room except the nurse attending to his needs. It was like classy solitary confinement.

#princecourt #privatehospital #jakunmoment #blackandwhite #hospital #privatehospital

My Kokomo

Someone booked the Aman Sari Hotel in Bandar Penawar Desaru recently. I don’t know who it was. Normally, friends who booked will tell me in private but is non-obligatory.

Desaru is pronounced as Day Sar Roo. Coincidentally, I wrote about my liking of the beach recently too. Desaru went through a ‘renaissance’ after the opening of the highway from JB. Unlike Bali, the 22 km of beach here has no rowdy drunk Aussie tourists, as told to me by Rian Maelzer, who visited Kuta after Ubud.

There are no beach bars or peddlers with an ice box here, fortunately. Still unspoiled like how it was when it captivated a handful of Singaporeans in the 80s.

The tranquility may be shattered soon. I hope not. A massive refinery and petrochemical complex is being developed in Pengerang town at the southern Johor tip facing Singapore. Singaporean cycling friends reported seeing heavy heavy vehicle traffic on the old truck road.

There are a dozen other Desaru hotels listed at MyCen Hotels. Kokomo is a fictional place as sung in the hit song Kokmo by the Beach Boys. It supposedly is in the Caribbean or off the Florida Keys. 1st pic: Sun painting shadows on windy Desaru beach.

#desaru #johor #amansari #kotatinggi #kokomo

Beaches For Your Sunset Pics – Part 3.

Beaches For Your Sunset Pics – Part 3.

Port Dickson or PD shall be our third featured beach and the furthest, comparatively. I was there to attend the Rainforest Challenge 4WD competition.

Sometimes you need to rope in a complete stranger to complement the scene. I was lucky to meet friendly Kay Kay Wong and her cooperative dog on the beach. I explained to Kay Kay and she understood what I wanted to achieve immediately,

The pretty and shapely dog groomer ran across the sand and her pet poodle, Pearly, chased her in the way I imagined it. An unexpected bonus was the dust halo (fine sand) kicked up by the dog’s feet with the sunset behind.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f8, 1/320 sec.

If you need to spend a night in PD, see this link to Hotels In Seremban that included a link to many hotels and resorts in PD:

http://www.mycen.my/hotel-in-seremban/

#sunset #dusk #beach #twilight #portdickson #pd #silhouette #dog #negerisembilan

Beaches For Your Sunset Pics – Part 2

Beaches For Your Sunset Pics – Part 2.

Next up on the sunset beaches series is the sneakily named Pantai Redang in Sekinchan. On a part of Redang Beach less trodden, is an isolated corner I called the Graveyard Of Fishing Vessels. Hauntingly beautiful and off the beaten track.

The skeletal remains of retired fishing boats are laid bare during low tide. I love this swampy coast in northern Selangor. When the light and clouds mashed up crazily, the land and seascape exudes a post-apocalyptic feel. Eerie and awesome.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f8, 1/320 sec.

See Hotels in Sekinchan if you need to spend a night.

http://www.mycen.my/hotels-in-sekinchan/

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f8, 1/320 sec.

#sunset #dusk #beach #twilight #pantiredang #redangbeach #sekinchan #selangor

Beaches For Your Sunset Pics – Part 1b

Beaches For Your Sunset Pics – Part 1b.

If you noticed. I named this Part1b because it is an unplanned inclusion of another Morib beach sunset view. It is the silhouette pic of my friend. the shapely and beautiful Sarawakian, Elisha.

Sunsets can be great for silhouettes. It is also photographed from the Morib Esplanade, as with the previous beach pic.but on a different day.

Don’t worry if you arrived late at the beach, It is the afterglow of various hues that is magical. Many people leave the minute the sun drops below the horizon. Don’t and you will be rewarded.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/250 sec.

See Hotels in Morib and the Gold Coast, if you need to spend a night.

http://www.mycen.my/hotels-in-morib-and-gold-coast-selangor/

#sunset #dusk #beach #twilight #morib #goldcoast #selangor #afterglow #silhouette