In the hustle and bustle of the city, William and I found paradise in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. That was a place where for brief moments of our lives, we could run amuck like small kids again. Fishes were aplenty in the creek. The water was cool and refreshing. We were at our creative best, hatching mischievous plots against other neighbourhood kids, against teachers and our poor suffering parents who had to put up with our childhood misdemeanors.

It was a paradise like no other. For several hours, we were totally engrossed, witnesses and witting participants to the exploits of an innocently mischievous six year old and his furry pet tiger. We chuckled. We sniggered. He was fun. He was entertaining. He is a kid I would like to be but not one I would like to be a parent to. He is the ingenuity of Bill Watterson let loose in the adventures of the sardonic Calvin and the ever unflappable Hobbes. Yesterday was one Saturday well-spent at Borders in Berjaya Times Square. I am already looking forward to my next trip there. William?

Paradise in the city.
Photo by Wuan.

Transfixed.
Photo by Wuan.

Immersed in the world of Calvin and Hobbes.
Photo by Wuan.

Read Aizuddin Danian’s entry titled Blogs in the NST about his interview and discovered that the issue regarding my wheelchair was highlighted. That article touched on Project Petaling Street and mentioned the name of filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad and three more well-known socio-political bloggers – Aisheman, TV Smith and Mack Zulkifli.

Oddly, or expectedly, Jeff Ooi’s name was left out entirely. He was not even credited for being the person instrumental in prompting fellow bloggers to write to Malaysia Airlines regarding the mishandling of the wheelchair and the shoddy treatment at the Lost and Found Office. The following is the one paragraph mention of my case:

Nevertheless, Jeff being awarded the Freedom Blogs for Asia is testimony of his influence. He has taken up the task of informing the interested public on pertinent socio-political issues where the mainstream media fails or refuses to report. He takes the lonely path where others fear to tread. This is a man of courage. This is the man who invokes respect, whether one agrees with his views or not. This is one man we need more of.

Here I would personally like to thank Kimberly Low, Ashok Kandiah, Lucia Lai and all who have sent letters or emails or made calls to Malaysia Airlines, and of course to Jeff Ooi again who made all these happened. I believe that had expedited the process. This is the collective power of blogs at work. This is how we should all use our blogs – contributing to the betterment of our fellow humans.

This is for Kimberly.

Update:
The Freaky Hair Shot ~ A Spicy Life
Sadako ~ Nicole
Freaky hair? ~ kahpengBlog
Meme: Evil Me ~ Bracken fernleaf spills her spores …
Wah~~~ where is my head?? ~ Kuishinbo~Meow~

Beautiful Saturday.

Last Saturday while we were waiting to hail a passing cab to go to Suria KLCC, William called.

“I’ll pick you up. Give me twenty minutes.”

At Suria KLCC, we parted ways as I went looking for a toilet. At the same time I had a lunch appointment with MystiqAngel at the Level 2 Food Court. William and Cynthia came and joined us at the Food Court a short while after we had settled down. After lunch, we loitered around the complex until it was dark and went out to the KLCC Park. I have never seen the Petronas Twin Towers from close-up. The view was incredible. Just outside the Suria KLCC, at the esplanade, there was a synchronized fountain called Lake Symphony. I have been to Suria KLCC many times but the sights I saw that evening will be one to be remembered for a long time.

Mini Cooper Exhibition.

The throng of people taking the escalator.

Premier Toilet - RM2 per entry.

Stall selling cookies.

View from the esplanade.

Symphony Fountain.

Petronas Twin Towers.

Suria KLCC Esplanade.

Chandalier at the lobby of the Dewan Philharmonik Malaysia.

Granite floor of the Dewan Philharmonik Malaysia lobby.

Menara Public Bank.

One thing I learnt from the Mid Valley Bloggers Meet is that KLites do not like to wake up at 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning. “Chisin,” said Penny, or something to that effect, when I told her in #MalaysiaBloggers@Dalnet the time was set at 10am on a Sunday. I reasoned that it was better to be there early than to get stuck in the infamous Mid Valley traffic jam around lunch time. Besides, the food court would be less congested.

Irene echoed Penny’s sentiments too. In her entry about this meet, she said, “…and at 10am of all times. Why the ungodly hour? *mutters* I’m going to cekik (strangle) the fella who suggested it when I meet him/her *mutters*” They all came anyway. Irene did not strangle me when we met. On the other hand, she was very nice and polite.

One should see the faces of those who were there when Jeff Ooi arrived. In Malaysian blogosphere, he is considered a royalty. I forgot who said that but yes, love him or hate him, we have great respect for him all the same. When Mack Zulkifli arrived, there was another round of bloggers with awe written all over their faces.

Like in previous meets, cameras were aplenty. There was Jeff with his Nikon D100 that made us feel very inadequate with our tiny point and shoot digicams. We took photos of each other taking shots at each other. The ramen duo of Leo and Fazri were up to their antics of flashing each other again while not stealing candid shots. And Edrei, I did remember you that morning. The next meet perhaps?

Book Worm was one of those first few to arrive at the meet with her adorable Joanna. Yee Pei, MystiqAngel and Desmo came around the same time. Desmo came in his full riding gear just because I requested that. When he removed the top, he was all sweaty and steamed up. Maybe I can get him to come in the buff for the next bloggers meet. Alan was one of the early comers too. I later discovered that he maintains a blog at Geocities. Interesting!

The first thing Resurrected said when we introduced ourselves was that we probably do not know him. Now we do! Charlyn Tangerine turned out to be a good looking dude just like what he revealed in Yahoo Messenger. Eyeris also turned out to be a guy. I had always related Eyeris to Iris but he had a good explanation on how that blog name came to be. That was two revelations too many for a day.

Dave entertained us with his delicate model poses while shooting. He triumphantly proclaimed that he shot a prominent blogger. SK was there shooting everyone from every conceivable angle. Redzuan impressed Wuan and me with his one-eyed squint. That meet was also the first time I became a camwhore. Jayelle and Suanie roped me into participating in that undesirable-sounding pursuit. In the end, everyone got shot by Mack’s videocam.

Jess, as usual, was quiet and demure, absorbing in the all the happenings good naturedly. Sashi plonked himself together with Nilesh, Rajan and TigerJoe at the far end of the table where Mack was holding court. Amber came and went like a shadow. Penny was there with DemonicSquid and Loges. Albert overslept and arrived just when I was about to leave.

All in all, it was an interesting day for Wuan and me. I hope it was a good day for all who came too. Our lives have been enriched by your presence and friendship. Your generosity overwhelmed us. Once we were strangers reading each other’s blog. Now a friendship has been forged, one that I hope will last a very long time. Thank you. God bless.

Related entry:
The Attendees List - Mid Valley Bloggers Meet

Related entry from other blogs:
Midvalley Bloggers Gathering ~ MageP’s Lab
What makes a person a customer? ~ YP’s Rantings
Random Conversations ~ Hunting The Snark
2nd Class Citizen ~ Hunting The Snark
Where Bloggers Gather…. ~ Imagination is the key to freedom
The Pre-PPS bash Bloggers Meet Up at Mid-Valley ~ Eye on Everything
Mid-year blogger meets ~ Screenshots
bloggers’ meet at mid valley ~ Bring on the good times
Convergence ~ The Silent Room
Prepps Gathering COMPLETED ~ Dustyhawk :: Broken Mirror
Food court and malls ~ Life’s many beautiful things
Pre-PPS Bash Blog Meet At 10am ~ Little Girl In A Reverie
Date: Bloggers Action ~ Bracken fernleaf spills her spores …
Bloggers meet in Megamall ~ Brand New Malaysian
BlogGERs Gathering ~ …Awakening…
Bloggers meet up was a blast ~ Nilesh Babu v1.9 Beta
Pre-PPS Bash Blog Meet.. ~ -PeNNyPupZ-
you love us, you really love us! (part 2) ~ As Suanie Sees It
Looking Forward ~ Tangerine Fidelity

*Photos of the meet are in the Gallery.