The PenFan's PhotoBlog

As Chinese New Year is getting closer we went to the Curve Mall to pick up some new year goodies. Last month we were quite happy with The Curve's 2012 Christmas decoration. Naturally we are eager to check out what they have for the 2013 Chinese New Year as well. The Curve Mall's 2013 Chinese New Year theme called the Celebration Of Spring look beautiful from one floor above. ---   Camera: Olympus Pen E-P1, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42 mm f/3.5-5.6 II standard zoom lens, setting lens at 28mm f/4.6 1/25s and ISO 800. This trip to The Curve Mall is mainly a shopping trip for Chinese New Year goodies. However we are also prepared for some photo shooting opportunity when something nice pops up. Thanks to Olympus for pioneering the Mirrorless Cameras System and reinventing the Digital Pen Micro Four Thirds Cameras. This small system camera with big features is so light and small we can carry it with us almost anytime. Any Olympus Pen camera together...

Our memory is still fresh with the photo session of Majestic Dragon of the Pavilion Mall.  But time flies and that a year has past.  Soon we will be in the Lunar Year of the Snake and bid farewell to the Dragon Year. The 2013 snake year celebration at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur has this cartoon-like Snake leading the 12 Chinese Zodiac Circle of Reunion at the Mall's Bukit Bintang entrance. -- Camera: Olympus Pen E-P1, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Pancake lens, setting lens at f/5.6 1/200s and ISO 200. We were on our way to the Pavilion Mall and expecting to see a big anaconda just like the Majestic Dragon at the Mall for the Year of the Snake.  When we arrived we were disappointed because the Pavilion Mall had a miserable green earthworm disguised as a snake at the entrance. Luckily the Green earth worm looked cute and funny and if not for its forked tongue it definitely is merely a big fat earthworm. The 2013 Chinese New Year theme for Pavilion Kuala ...

In the month of December Ikea is running some one-day special Christmas offer of 2 items per day everyday till December 24. We were attracted or rather distracted by one of the items on offer that day but felt it more of a want than a need. Whimsie Forest with a sprinkle of fairy dust is the Curve Mall 2012 Christmas theme decoration.    --     camera: Olympus Pen E-PL2, Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42 mm f/3.5-5.6 II standard zoom, setting lens at 28mm, f/9.0, 1/15s and ISO 1000. Physically checking  out the item might help but Ikea is quite a distance from our place. If the item turned out to be something not what we really want,  it would be a wasted day out.  Then I remembered the Christmas decoration at The Curve so I said to my wife at least we can shoot some photos to make it worth the while. We arrived at Ikea around lunch time and had lunch at the Oriental Court area at The Curve Mall. After that we mov...

Before we knew it Santa is back singing out loud " HoHoHo I am Back"! Christmas 2012 is just days away and many shopping Malls already decorated with beautiful Christmas theme to draw shoppers and visitors in. A week ago we saw the almost completed Christmas decoration at The Curve mall but we had no photos because it was not lighted yet at that time. A Bedazzling Christmas is the 2012 Christmas theme for Pavilion Kuala Lumpur with plenty of crystals, glittering gold and blinking lights on the Christmas tree. — Camera: OLYMPUS PEN E-P1, LENS: M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17MM F/2.8 pancake lens, SETTING F/4.0, 1/15s and ISO 200. We were at the Bukit Bintang area running some chores and decided to drop by the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur for lunch. The Pavilon Mall 2012 Christmas decoration looked more vibrant and upbeat than what we remembered last December. The theme for 2012 is Bedazzling Christmas. Visitors entering Pavilion Mall from the Bukit Bintang entrance can never miss...

We were on the way home after one of our Chinese new year visiting when my wife suggested dropping by Viva Home Shopping Mall. Viva Mall, previously known as Plaza UE3, is situated along Jalan Loke Yew.  Despite Plaza UE3 Mall's location on such a busy highway within the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur, for years this plaza had never really flourished as a shopping mall. Not many people knew about Plaza UE3 then and probably few could even remember such a shopping mall now. Kha Seng Group took over Plaza UE3 a few years back and gave it a new makeover and re-branded it as Viva Home Shopping Mall. It was reopen on April 2011 after almost one year of renovation.  Our first visit to this "new"  Viva Home Mall was around May last year and had not stepped foot there since. Today we decided to spend our afternoon at Viva Home Shopping Mall .  As its name says, Viva Home Mall wants to re-brand itself as a one-stop shopping centre for the home owners with products rang...

It has been a month since our last visit to the Pavilion Mall Kuala Lumpur. The magnificent Pavilion Mall dragon was still there inviting shutterbugs to take more photographs. We added some new photos of the Pavilion Dragon from this visit here. In a few more days will be February 6 2012 i.e. chap goh mei which marks the close of the fifteen days Chinese New Year celebration. The Pavilion dragon together with all the Chinese New Year decorations will most likely be taken down after that day. The 183-metre long Pavilion dragon view at the side from the upper floor of the shopping mall. -- Camera: Olympus Pen Lite E-PL2 14-42. Lens: M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II msc standard zoom set at 14mm f/3.5 1/100s ISO200. When we first photographed this Pavilion dragon a month ago it was just completed and a "work in progress" sign was still posted on the ground floor. Since then more new year decorations had been added with the finale being the dragon chas...

The Chinese New year decoration at 1 Utama is a continuation from their Christmas theme. This time they have put up a cute baby water dragon in a clam-shell at their main concourse area.  Most of the structures used for the Christmas decoration were reused except the sea fairies and their Christmas ornaments which were off duty now. Many had complained that 1Utama shopping mall recycled their Christmas decoration for the Chinese New Year and some questioned why a water dragon. In western mythology the dragon is a fire spitting fiery evil monster that lived in barren land, in deep mountain cave and in the dungeon. However Chinese dragon or "Lóng"  is not the same beast as the western dragon. The Lóng is an angelic being that lived in the four corners of the sea or in heaven. 1 Utama shopping mall's Dragon Year decoration for 2012 is that of a baby water dragon sitting inside  a clam-shell at the concourse area. Camera: Olympus Pen Lite E-PL2, Lens: ...

The Chinese lunisolar year for 2012 is the year of the dragon or "Lóng nián". The New year day for this dragon year falls on January 23 2012. The Chinese new year is referred by the Chinese as Agriculture Calender New Year or "Nóng rìlì xīnnián" to differentiate it from the international new year day of the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese dragon or the "Lóng" is a very differently beast from the dragon of the western culture.  To the westerners,  dragon is considered an evil monster that terrorized human kind, therefore should be sought out and slain. "Lóng" - the Chinese dragon, on the other hand,  is regarded as a divine beast that possessed supernatural power and a symbol of supreme authority. The Chinese dragon is also believed to command sound judgement, positiveness and good fortune. The auspicious Lóng is a colourful beast unlike the western dragon which is mostly black or grey. The  Chinese dragon can be in any of these colours - gol...

Shopping Malls used to have their premises well decorated in December for the Christmas seasons. However this year not many malls have put up great displays and some are rather quiet with their efforts. Maybe Chinese New Year is just round the corner or maybe 2011 was not a good year and as a result, low on budget as well.  Anyway, only the owner and the management know best. Those shopping malls who have their decorations put up had it there from the beginning of December 2011 till January 1, 2012. The Christmas decorations attracted lots of kids and shutter-bugs. We visited a number of these shopping malls - some are great while some have nothing much to shout about. The 2011 Christmas decoration theme for Pavilion Kuala Lumpur was Christmas Wonderland. They had a 40-foot tall Christmas tree designed by Tiffany & Co. set up at the concourse area. Right at the entrance of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur visitors were greeted by some giant candies....

Tang Yuan is a very popular Chinese snack since the Song Dynasty (960-1126 AD). Tang Yuan is glutinous rice balls usually cooked in sweet broth. Tangyuan resembles the shape of a white marble ball which is made from glutinous rice flour. Some Tang yuan are plain and some have fillings inside. The fillings are usually made from sweet paste of red beans, peanuts, sesame seeds or other sweet candies. A close up photo of glutinous rice balls or TangYuan. The actual size of this Tang Yuan is about 25mm in diameter. -- Camera: Olympus Pen E-P1. Lens:Tamron SP 90mm F/2.5 Tele-macro lens photo taken at 1/20s F2.5 ISO 200 Tang Yuan is also eaten during many Chinese Festivals. Dong Jie or Chinese Winter Festival is one festival that Tangyuan  is a must-have for the day. Dongjie Tangyuan is made from combination of red and white glutinous rice flour. The two colored red and white Dongjie Tang Yuan symbolize Yin Yang harmony and family reunion. This year Do...

This year Wesak day wasl on 17 of May. We visited the Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple in Brickfields in the morning. The traffic was really bad due to the construction of The little India project in the area. Wesak day marks the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Gautama Buddha. The Maha Vihara Temple was thronged with Buddhist devotees. Despite the hot weather huge crowd of devotees were queuing outside the Main Shrine Hall waiting for their turn for the prayer and blessings. Buddhists waiting outside Main Shrine at Maha Vihara Brickfield A statue of a golden Buddha was placed at the front entrance of the Asokan Hall to cater for big group prayers and offerings on this auspicious day. A golden Buddha statue at the front entrance of Asokan hall caters for the big group prayers and offerings on this auspicious day Thousands of mini Buddhist flags strung from the top of Wisma  Dhama Cakra to the Main Shrine Hall. Buddhist ...