Category: Thoughts

San Miguel Beer Of 1890

Non-beer drinkers may wonder why, at many Asian cities, customers at coffee shops stack finished bottles on the table. It may appear like a competition, if there are more than one table of drinkers.

The reason is quite innocuous, usually. For regulars, no tab is kept by the shop. When they are about to leave, a coffee shop worker or the cashier will count the empty bottles and the total is calculated.

The San Miguel bottles should give a clue to drinkers that this is a coffee shop in the Philippines. It was nice seeing the pale pilsen in its hometown and birthplace. It is one of Phillipines’s most famous global brands. Yes. I tried famous Jollibee burgers too, founded by a Mr Tan.

They drinkers here were bored workers of the Chinese coffee shop itself. It was nightfall outside in Chinatown, Manila.

What was I doing there?

As usual, I wanted to talk to some ethnic Chinese after exploring Manila Chinatown. The men told me St Miguel brewery is owned by a Chinese tycoon, Mr Ang. The corporation also owns Petron petrol stations in Malaysia, I was told.

Find a hotel easily in Manila at Mycen Hotels. www.mycen.my

Olympus OM-D, ISO 2000, f2.8, !/160

#documentaryphotography #streetphotography #coffeeshop #chinatown #beer #stmiguel #manila #chinese #philippines #olympus

I Saw A Stegosaurus With A Beer Belly, Man Boobs And Spine Plates

I Saw A Stegosaurus With A Beer Belly, Man Boobs And Spine Plates.

I was driving in Port Klang town when I thought I saw a human Stegosaurus from the Jurassic period. I stopped my car and got down to have a closer look.

It turned out some form of ancient Chinese and Egyptian cupping therapy. According to the Malay ‘medicine man’, the bamboo tubes suck out bad “wind” form the body.

There is a ‘snake oil’ salesman outside each of the three lottery shops.

Of course, you don’t have to look like a dinosaur or flash your manboobs to the innocent public.

The five-foot-way stall owner has a bottle of green liquid that can do the same magic for only RM10.

I liked how reactive or flexible the salesman was. When he sees a potential Chinese customer, he will say he learned it from a Chinese sifu.

When an Indian customer takes an interest, he says: “Look at my faithful Indian client sitting here.” Hehe.

Malay customers? His pitch was you can find him selling outside the National Mosque on certain days. Subtly suggesting some religious validation for the naive. Brilliant.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 250, f10, 1/250 sec.

#documentaryphotography #streetphotography #cupping #bamboo #bekam #dinosaur #jurassic #sonyalpha #a7r #zeiss

Flamingo by the Lake Hotel

The Flamingo Hotel was one of the earliest suburb hotels. Since then, there are now other neighbourhood hotels such as Maluri Hotel in Taman Maluri and Sri Petaling Hotel in Taman Sri Petaling. Flamingo hotel is now correctly branded as Flamingo by the Lake. If you get a room with a balcony facing the lake, it is quite nice. Seems like a quiet hidden getaway and a suitable honeymoon suite with the romantic and picturesque surroundings.

I can’t remember if they had flamingos on the lake but in the early days, there were probably a few pathetic swans, I think. If you want to see flamingos, drive to the zoo nearby.

They say 2 star hotels and a pair of tight jeans for men have something in common. There is no ballroom. The hotel is more than 2 stars and it has a grand ballroom that can accommodate 1500 pax.

I remember attending Malaysiakini’s 5th anniversary dinner here in 2004 where it was joked that should the ceiling collapse that night in the ballroom, the government would have unwittingly gotten rid of all opposition members, critics, dissidents, anti government cartoonists, bloggers, candlelight vigil types and NGO members in one fell swoop. Haha.

I have also stayed there after all night drinking sessions to avoid getting into trouble with roadblocks. It is never a good idea because when you get up with a massive hangover, it is already check out time. This was why Japan came out with cheaper capsule or pod hotels to cater to drinking executives. People just want a simple roof when they missed the last train. But this a story for another day.

We KLites may scoff at the congested Ampang Jaya junction location but for the out-of-towner, it may be a quick drive to the National Zoo or an easy drive to or from the city by the Ampang Elevated Highway or by DUKE. The nearest similar or higher class hotels are De Palma Hotel Ampang and the new Elements @ Ampang Hotel (behind Gleneagles).

Book Flamingo By The Lake here.

Address: 5  Tasik Ampang, Jalan Hulu Kelang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Finding Warmth On A Cold Floor

Who can resist a cool marble floor on a hot day? A homeless dog seeks shelter under the watchful eyes of the statue of Buddha at an obscure and quaint Thai temple named Wat Meh Liew in little-known Kampung Siam in Kuala Lumpur.

I was sitting on the floor on Wesak Day last year when the dog came to lie in front of me. A wonderful moment for the camera. It also brought a smile to my face and warmed my heart.

The temple’s tolerance and acceptance of stray animals symbolizes the heart of Buddha’s teachings – Compassion.

Happy Vesak Day ahead.

#wesak #vesak #buddhism #buddha #thaitemple #dog #compassion

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