Swing out, sistahs and brothas!

Last month, after the Latin American Festival, knew I wanted to dance. While searching for dance classes in Kuala Lumpur, I came across the website of KL Swing. They have Tuesday Night Swing at Sid's Pub Bangsar South, a stone's throw away from my old home. I showed up every week and met more experienced dancers.

Socials at Sid's Pub (top row) and Shivz Grill (bottom row)

I also started attending LindyKL's Friday night socials at Shivz Grill in Bangsar and introduced my team to swing and lindy hop (and fortunately they enjoyed it).

Last Sunday, Swing Out@Publika was a pretty cool introduction to many who are new to swing.

Both KL Swing and LindyKL have free taster classes for beginners. You just need to buy a drink to support the venue. If you find yourself free in KL on a Tuesday or Friday night, come join us!

Hit the mark

On a Saturday morning, I rang up my colleague. Something felt wrong. I asked him what time he slept the night before. The answer shocked me. Although I poke fun at him at work to the point of being called mean, he is my best friend in Malaysia and his state of being affects mine in a big way. We are almost each other's personal shrinks. I had to talk to him, but he was being elusive. There was only one thing I could think of.

"Let's play archery."

Up close, I look like I'm doing well. But actually, I was doing it wrong (which I only realized when I was almost out of arrows). Can you guess which target is mine?

If I were to open a mall business in Manila, I'd try an archery range. It's something you'd do with you friends,  like bowling or ice skating. With the number of TV series and movies with archery, it shouldn't be difficult to market.

Work, for your reading pleasure

I may not be writing much, but I do write every day. Here's a bunch of my articles at the Travel 3Sixty website.

If you like what you see, please visit Travel 3Sixty on Facebook and Like the page. Thanks!

Pinoy Sunday

Philippine Independence Day celebration + Pacquiao-Bradley fight + Corpus Christi. Feels like home.

Kuala Lumpur: The tourist shots

Everyone wants a photograph of the Petronas Twin Towers

The graffiti walks in between Pasar Seni LRT station and the Old KL Railway station

A closer look at the street art

The chandelier at the Renaissance Hotel KL

e @ The Curve, a mall in Petaling Jaya

The National Textiles Museum next to Merdeka Stadium

Rooms with a view

Next weekend, I will be moving out as my housemate is leaving the country for good. My first experience of condo living has been a wonderful four months of morning descents and nightly uphill climbs. I will miss this place, the hilltop view and the daily workout it gives me.

My block isn't here, but you get the picture

From the balcony

Night view from the other room

From the other side of the building, showing Bangsar South developments. KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers are tiny lines above the leftmost crane.

For foreigners moving to Malaysia, start your search for a house or condo here:

iBilik - still the best for individual rooms for rent
letaroom - often overlaps with iBilik
expatriates.com - some interesting ones pop up here occasionally
www.propwall.com - great for analysis of condos
mudah.my and iProperty.com - good for buyers
The Star Online Classifieds - little detail
roomlah - listings still sparse

Wikimapia and Google Maps can help gauge distances such as the distance between condos and LRT stations, if that is important to you.

Good luck!

When Love Arrives

A little night music

Two very different gigs in one night: danceable pop at Pixie Lott's showcase, KL Live and DnB/dubstep/hiphop at The Return of the Titans vol. II at Paradiso Publika.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Birds of Kuala Lumpur

KL Bird Park is one of Kuala Lumpur's top attractions. The guys in our family have had their share of colorful birds landing on their heads and shoulders, so the experience is not that new. But spending a few hours here is still a nice way to get away from the city sprawl.