Top Ten Photos of 2014

2014 was not such an adventuresome year for us as previous years have been. We did jet off to Kuching for a family visit, and enjoyed a couple of trips to KL, but that was about it. My top ten photos this year are exclusively from Kuantan and KL, and involve more people in the shots.

#10

A close-up of a colourful head used by the Chinese for lion dances during Chinese New Year

#9

Shot this beautiful landscape scene at the gorgeous orchid garden in Kuala Lumpur. I love the leafy frame and the vibrant purple orchids in the background

#8

My favourite shot of the girls from 2014

#7

My parents came to visit us in March 2014. I cheated a little bit with this one, as it wasn't me who took the photo, but I directed my wife as to how I wanted it done, and she didn't disappoint! The waves and the beautiful rocks of Teluk Chempedak complement this photo nicely

#6

Our annual Christmas e-postcard was a real favourite in 2014 due to its colour and creativity. Having all 4 of us smiling nicely for the camera really helps a lot, too!

#5

View of the main entrance of Kuala Lumpur's The Majestic Hotel. Snapped this photo on Malaysia's National Day at around 7:30am

#4

That poor stone buddha! The tripod-cum-weapon! The look of hatred on my dad's face! This is a family photo that will live long in the memory

#3

A combination of four shots of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Just magnificent buildings, a photographer's dream

#2

Walking around the butterfly park in Kuala Lumpur in the sweltering heat, searching for that special photo. I think I found it with this dainty little dragonfly

#1

My favourite family photo is also the top photo of the year 2014. I carried out 4 chairs to the field behind our house, found a nice scenic spot, set up the tripod and timer, and out came this fantastic picture of our family. Couldn't be happier with it!
This is my favourite photo of 2014!

Merdeka Parade, Aug 31st, 2014

I know it's a little late but I wanted to include this post as it was a first for me.

It was the first time I was at Dataran Merdeka to see the merdeka parade. August 31st is Malaysia's Independence Day, and each year a parade goes through Merdeka Square. 

We were staying at The Majestic Hotel which is just 10 minutes walk from the venue. I woke up early, around 6am while the others were fast asleep. I wasn't planning on walking right down to Dataran Merdeka; just thought I'd watch them all go by the hotel.

Snapped this photo of The Majestic Hotel KL around 7:30am

I watched a barrage of tanks make their way past the hotel amidst much din. Quite impressive.

I followed the line of tanks down the road until I reached Dataran Merdeka. While the machinery was impressive, I was not so proud of the sight of soldiers in and around the tanks smoking away on cigarettes. Anyway, that's a different story...

Managed to find myself a spot amongst the huge crowds right here...

A number of national songs were blasted out of the speakers right behind where I was standing, including 'Negaraku'  and one of my personal favourites, 'Jalur Gemilang,' which I was able to sing along to. Despite the large crowds, there was no pushing and shoving, everyone seemed to behave themselves well, and the police did a very good job at maintaining order. I must say, it was a very patriotic atmosphere, and I felt very much Malaysian myself, and a deep sense of belonging to this land.

Carrying a large Malaysia flag in the parade

A young child waves the Malaysia flag as the parade passes by

I was given a Malaysia flag which I waved proudly during the 'Jalur Gemilang' song. As I already was carrying an ipad and a camera, I ended up inserting the flagstick in my pocket, as many others did.

Managed to find a window ledge to stand on which gave me a better view of proceedings and a more favourable angle for taking photos.

Around 9:30am I began to make my way through the crowds and headed back to the hotel. I was getting rather hungry!

Some sort of Malaysian SWAT team

I walked the slightly uphill journey back to The Majestic Hotel and slipped into Contango to join my family who were having breakfast there. 

Doing Business - Our Relationship with the Hotel Industry - Part 3

Once we had become part of the Vistana family, we were able to do some business with the hotel. This took on two forms: teaching English to the hotel staff, and proofreading hotel documents.

As YTL Hotels were not keen on paying us money for our services, we engaged in an exchange of services instead. I would proofread hotel SOPs (Standard & Procedures), calculate how much I would charge based on our proofreading charges, then arrange with Wayne how many nights stay at the hotel that price would represent.

I taught two batches of Vistana Hotel staff English lessons, which comprised around 8-10 total months. In return we negotiated to have use of a function room for a full day, 4 times that year. We organised English Workshops for our students with a small price to attend, and held 3 sessions per day. That made a total of 12 sessions that year with a maximum of 20 students per session. So we were able to make a nice return.

English Workshop at Vistana Hotel Kuantan in March 2012

We have also done, and continue to do, proofreading jobs for The Majestic Hotel, getting free stays in return each time. It certainly makes our KL trips even more splendid!

The grand Majestic Hotel has become a second home for us

Treated like a King - Our relationship with the Hotel Industry - Part 1

Since moving to Kuantan in 2006, we have become very much involved with the hotel industry, both in win-win situations with hotels, and at our own personal cost. Today's post addresses how we first became seriously involved with the hotel industry.

The post can be found at my hotels blog by clicking on this link:

Treated like a King

I'd really appreciate your visit to my blog dedicated solely to my love of hotels, but you can also read the article in full right here.

We go to a hotel expecting a little pleasure, a little pampering, and on the whole, being treated like a King. As the description of my blog states: "Hotels give ordinary people the chance to enjoy a piece of luxury, and to be made to feel extremely important, for 24 hours."

While not all hotels give you that sort of experience, and shame on them if they fail to do so, most hotels will treat you like a King and really hope that you will return in the future.

Posing for a photo in a room at Vistana Hotel Kuantan with then-Hotel Manager Wayne Lee, accompanied by a couple of staff and my family.

One hot and balmy afternoon I was riding my bicycle back home from Teluk Chempedak beach. On the way I would always pass by Vistana Hotel Kuantan. I was curious. It was a hotel I had only ever been inside twice - once for a university function for my wife, and once to look around the meeting room floors out of curiosity. With sweat dripping down  my face on this particular afternoon, I decided to drop in and ask to speak with the Hotel Manager to make a proposal.

Within 5 minutes, this tall and lean man called Wayne Lee approached me in the lobby and we sat down and chatted for a while. I asked him if he would be willing to give us a free stay if in return, I created a blog post to promote his hotel. To my surprise, he immediately agreed and told me to call him as soon as we were ready for our stay!

This was the beginning of a long friendship with Vistana Hotel Kuantan and Wayne Lee, which continues to run now. This extends to Vistana Hotel KL and our comradeship with Pauline Gan too. From my very first contact as a sweaty (and perhaps smelly young man) who came in off the street demanding a free stay, I was treated like a King.

We continue to be treated with the utmost friendliness and respect by all of the hotel staff at Vistana Hotel Kuantan, many of whom we have become good friends with - Sharon, Ms. Fan, Nurul & Nurul, Hanafidhiyah, Carmen, Azam, Sivabalan, Wan, Kamarul, Aazhar, Zul, Hazriq, Zahar, Aman, Roslina, Yok Chi - and many others who have dealt directly with us for the purposes of business and leisure. My thanks and appreciation cannot adequately be expressed in mere words to all of these great people who have treated us like Kings (and Queens) and presented so many opportunities to our family.

When Wayne Lee was transferred to The Majestic Hotel in KL, the same positive treatment was extended to us there and more friendships have been made, particularly with Steven Chen whom we now deal with at Majestic Hotel. We look forward to our next visit to this remarkable hotel!

Wayne Lee, then-Hotel Manager at The Majestic Hotel KL, poses for a photo with a colleague in a beautiful guest room

Our stay at Majestic Hotel - Part 5 - Signs

Welcome to the 5th part of our stay at Majestic Hotel KL. When I go places, I tend to notice the little details and at times kind of become obsessed with them. This post features the various signs around Majestic Hotel directing guests and visitors to certain places.

I love the simplicity of the signs and the font. Very fetching!

It's all in the details . . .

I love Majestic Hotel KL, including the little details!

Our stay at Majestic Hotel - Part 4 - Fine dining at Contango

Majestic Hotel KL's dining room, named Contango, Ground Floor

Part 4 of our stay at Majestic Hotel KL focuses on our dining experience at Contango, the hotel's open-kitchen style dining room where we enjoyed breakfast and lunch.

An open-kitchen at Contango, Majestic Hotel KL

At Contango you may approach a kitchen and request your food to be freshly cooked by a chef. The transparency of cooking is a change to the usual behind-the-scenes cooking. There is a wide variety of foods on offer from local Asian to Japanese to Western.

Lauren poses for a photo at Contango, Majestic Hotel KL

Seating towards the rear of Contango

Table arrangement at Majestic Hotel KL's dining room, Contango

Little pots of jam and honey are neatly stacked on each table at Contango

My breakfast

Choose your fruit juice at Contango, Majestic Hotel KL

There are plenty of desserts on offer at Contango for those with a sweet tooth. One can choose from cakes to macarons to ice-cream sorbet to satisfy your palate after a meal.

Macarons decorate the walls of Contango

I'm still craving for these delightful desserts comprised of lollipops and macarons of various flavours

Took two macarons of each flavour back up to our room where I ate 5 of them in a row. Felt full the rest of the day!

Dining in Contango is a lovely experience. The decor, open kitchens and variety and quality of food are big plus points. Looking forward to eating there again in the future!