Look Up - KL Gallery #12

Ceiling decoration at Sunway Pyramid. Makes you look up, doesn't it?

Sleek Pipes - KL Gallery #10

In a shop window in Sunway Pyramid I chanced upon these beautifully designed pipes. I rarely see anyone in Malaysia smoking from these pipes nowadays - they are fast becoming collector's items.

Sunway Ice Rink - KL Gallery #9

This is the ice rink in Sunway Pyramid, Subang Jaya. Children and adults have skating lessons, or play around on the ice. Ice hockey matches are also held here late night.

Prayers for MH370 - KL Gallery #4

At the entrance of Sunway Pyramid lies this place to write and hang prayers for crew, passengers and family associated with the tragic disappearance of flight MH370 which was bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, but never arrived. 

Sometimes prayers go unanswered, but never unheard.

Bruce Lee art - KL Gallery #3

Bruce Lee is idolised the world over for his extraordinary martial arts skills. In Sunway Pyramid, artwork depicting the legend that is Bruce Lee adorns the wall of this great shopping centre.

Our children having fun in KL

Travelling with young children is of course difficult. Friends and neighbours agree. This month of June we are travelling a lot. Recently we went to KL to buy our new car, and while the children weren't too well for most parts, we did however, manage to give them some fun times.

Here they are having fun around KL during the few days we spent there last week:

Leah with her aunty Urai

We paid RM3 for 5 minutes driving around on this toy. Lauren loved it!

Leah had a great time on the slide! Thanks to her aunty Urai for helping out so well!

Lauren posing at the children's playground

Urai and her nieces, Leah and Lauren

Having fun at Sunway Pyramid. My wife and her sister Urai are pushing the children. Our friend Sarah stands in the middle.

Another group photo at Sunway Pyramid

Eating Goat's Milk ice-cream

Leah giving Lauren a hug!

Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kuantan

"Kipling, Rudyard (1865-1936)" - English writer and poet, the first English writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature (1907).





I have lived in three places in Malaysia, all beginning with the letter 'K'.


Kuala Lumpur

The first place I lived when I originally wound up on Malaysian shores back in 2002 was Kuala Lumpur (KL). I stayed there for nine months and have loved it ever since.

View of KL taken from the KL Tower in 2004

The KL Tower, taken from the grounds of the Petronas Twin Towers

A view of Sunway Pyramid in Subang Jaya taken from my friend's condominium in 2002. It has changed much since then! To see inside the new Sunway Pyramid click here

Here's me standing inside the trunk of a fascinating tree at the Forest Reserve Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong, KL

Kuching

Later I moved to Kuching, which is located in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

This is where my wife is from and where I've enjoyed seven months of my life.

Kuching town

My friend's place in Kuching. Can you spot me?

Trying my hand in a small paddy field in Kuching

Beginning our journey to a friend's fruit farm in Kuching

In the back of the truck with two men who couldn't speak a word of English!

At a rambutan farm (the red fruit that can be seen growing on the trees). I'm holding a soursop fruit.

Kuantan

Finally I've settled in Kuantan. Here are some of the best images of Kuantan:

The Pahang State Mosque

Teluk Chempedak beach

Click here to see the beautiful views at Teluk Chempedak beach

The gaping mouth of a dragon at the Lao Zi temple. 

Click here to see the Lao Zi Dragon temple

The stunning Taman Gelora park in Kuantan

Click here to see my latest visit to Taman Gelora

The new 5-star Zenith Hotel in Kuantan

My tour of Zenith Hotel with the General Manager

Our one-night stay courtesy of Zenith Hotel

Food Sampling Session at Zenith Hotel

What is your favourite Rudyard Kipling piece?

What is the best place you have lived in/visited?

Sunway Pyramid

Sunway Pyramid is a shopping haven located in Sunway, Subang Jaya. I first saw it in 2002. A huge pyramid in the middle of Malaysia with a large, imposing sphinx guarding it's entrance was difficult to miss whilst chugging down the highway in a cramped bus. The bus stopped right in front of this great structure and I knew I was in an interesting place. This is how Sunway Pyramid looked from this 2002 dated picture:

Today, however, Sunway Pyramid is almost twice the size after Sunway Pyramid 2, an extension project that links both the old and the new structures together, was completed. The renovation work has not been restricted to the exterior either. The interior has had a complete make-over, leaving it new, dazzling and stunning.

We went there last year for a visit and I was amazed by how far Sunway Pyramid has come. I thought it was a trendy place to be back in 2002; now it is just out of this world.

The warm, orange glow with the fire-enhanced Egyptian Pharaohs lining the borders of the pyramid's roof creates a surreal atmosphere which is burst back into reality with the Burger King restaurant in the background, which by now should be up and running. It is a vibrant mix of different worlds - the old Egyptian world of Pharaohs combined with the Western influenced entertainment and eateries - all brought together in a multi-cultural Asian town.

There are many types of lighting around Sunway Pyramid. This picture portrays such illumination in keeping with the Egyptian theme:

This decoration stretches the length of a chain of shops:

Surrounded by golden pillars, it looks like a palace. Who wouldn't want to keep coming back here to shop?

There is something for everyone, and one of the main attractions is the ice rink towards the back section of the pyramid.

There you may skate for fun to the sound of continuous music, take lessons from an instructor, or play for real - ice hockey! In 2002 I met a man who played ice-hockey matches representing Malaysia right here. Although I never saw one of those matches - they were played around 12 midnight apparently, and we had a curfew back in those days of 10pm - I wonder if he still skates and smashes pucks today?

This is the view from the elevator. It's nice to just go up and down on the elevator, from top floor to bottom and back again, watching the people skate, jump and fall, whilst admiring the mall itself and the various activities taking place.

Beside the ice-rink and stretching until the new pyramid building in a long corridor lies the Marrakesh Morocco area. It's like stepping into another world. The decor is beautifully crafted and carved, with a lovely tapestry-like painting of the sky and clouds across the panorama of the ceiling. Moroccan restaurants, handicrafts, spices and stalls fill up the walkway, as can be seen in these two shots:

This blue obelisk stands tall in the centre of 'Marrakesh' and conveys the feeling of being thrown into this galaxy where historical reminders clash gracefully with modernity.

Almost anywhere inside Sunway Pyramid, one finds their eyes being drawn to look up. It seems to be a continuous theme throughout the complex. We likewise associate 'looking up' with searching for the divine, heavenly help, God. The domes inside Sunway Pyramid are no less spectacular than the walkways, the lighting or the entertainment. Here are a few images of the domes:

And here is one of my favourite pictures of a pillar below one of the domes. Pillars represent strength as they are built upon a foundation and in a way, are the continuance of that hidden foundation, bringing extra strength to the entire frame of the structure:

Really, the designers, architects and constructors have done a great job. It's impossible not to feel comfortable, homey and warm inside this shopping mall. No amount of photographs can compensate though, for being there in person, and sampling the aura it oozes. 

The pillars, the domes, the lights, the Egyptian theme merged with a modern world, the inclination to 'look up', all play their part in making this more than just a shopping experience. These attractions also represent a few symbolic parallels to our spiritual quest for hope, enlightenment, and the yearning for God.