Life In Kuala Lumpur... and other places...: November 2006

The Conquest Of Time Prologue

It was a glorious Conquest Of Time - the largest ever watch exhibition in Malaysia organised by Sincere Watches. Definitely the event of the year and stylishly created, we had a blast. It was great to see so many top brands present showcasing their signature pieces as well as some new watches. The icing to the cake was the fact that I could catch up with many local as well as overseas friends from the watch community.

COT Preview Event

This was the launch of the event on 21st Nov 2006. It was a warm Tuesday evening but already Hall 2 of the KL Convention Center was filling up with dignitaries, celebrities and guests. I had the fortune and pleasure to bump into my friend, Hannah Tan, and spent much of the earlier part of the evening with her and her party.

Here we go... (click on the thumbnails for the larger photos)

We also met up with Tjeng Jaw, Revolution's Editor At Large...

And a few local Purists popped up!

Hall 2 was packed with guests...

All waiting to hear Tay Liam Wee's opening speech.

Then the show began! What would turn out to be a week of horological pleasure did not disappoint at all!

Interesting Omega booth...

As you can see, the setting was lavish indeed. Feels like a mini Basel in here!

One of the first stops was the Piaget booth. I stopped by to say hi to Janice who's in charge of the booth.

Then, the De Grisogono booth caught my eye. They had setup a gem setting atelier to showcase how the process was done. Most amazing...

Carla, the model at the DG booth was stunning! She was also very friendly and I look forward to seeing her again.

The Vacheron Constantin and Chopard booths respectively...

Tjeng Jaw commenting on Ti's stylish goatee...

The Panerai, Audermars Piguet and Girard-Perregaux booths respectively...

At the GP booth, an atelier was setup to showcase the intricacies of watchmaking.

Alain the young watchmaker showing off his skills...

Willy Schweizer, the GP Museum Curator, explaining the processes to Hannah...

Even the cops were impressed with the intricate workmanship...

Maxime Labey, Regional Manager for Jaeger LeCoultre, shows off the beautiful JLC watches to Hannah...

And Reena of JLC explains how the mysterious JLC Atmos clock works...

Reena and Hannah do the 'T'!

We ended the night with lots and lots of fine wine, champagne and drinks with the Brazilian models you saw up there... Splendid!

To be continued...

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

The Pilot 88th Anniversary - Nioh (Preview)

Just arrived today at our local retailer, Pengallery. I managed to shoot a few quick shots of this stunning pen! Possibly my fave pen of the year! Click on the photo for the full gallery...

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

The Conquest Of Time

Some of you may know that the largest watch exhibition ever in Malaysia will be organized by Sincere Watch in KL next week. Called The Conquest Of Time, it will be held from 22-26th November at the KL Convention Center. Entrance fee is RM10 per head and it will be worth your time.

There will be many satellite events surrounding this massive undertaking (watch talks, workshops etc) and one of the most interesting is the Girard-Perregaux Atelier Tour. GP will be bringing their museum curator as well as some watchmakers all the way from La Chaux De Fonds in Switzerland to show you the intricacies of watchmaking. Make sure you schedule your slot!

Anyway, here are some novelties that will be seen in the GP and JR booths at the event.

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

On another note, Jaeger LeCoultre launched their Master Tourbillon at Carcosa Seri Negara this past week...

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

As usual, click on the photos for the full galleries...

Food Brings Us Together

It was a pissy (rainy) Friday evening. I was waiting for my friends to arrive for dinner at Brickfields' Kheng Hiong. We had gone there because one of us wanted to eat the Keong Cheng Yu (Ginger Steamed Fish). So whilst waiting for the friends to arrive, I took the opportunity to scan the restaurant. Being a traffic jammed Friday evening, many were expectedly late.

One by one the friends arrive. Kisses and hugs are exchanged and the gossipping begins. Not really interested in some of the banter, I continued to look around the restaurant. The food took longer than usual to arrive but it gave me a chance to observe a little bit more. One table had colleagues (I guessed) - one guy who looked like the taukeh was serving the other guys in the table. He was smiling widely as he dished out ladles of soup into the bowls of the other people at his table. It looked like he was happy to be the one doing the task.

At another adjacent table, a few guys leaned back against their chairs, faces shining with fulfillment as they point their guts towards the sky. On their table were remnants of what they had ordered. Yet another table had a family... with kids busy playing with their Gameboys. The kids, having no attention span, were busy annoying each other and the others on the table.

Moving on, I saw another family arrive. The nucleus pair, the oldest couple, were being helped to the table by their progeny. It is always heartwarming to see acts of filial piety like this and always reminds me to cherish my parents and the love they have given me without hesitation. It also makes me think about how my children would treat me when I grow old.

So to cut the story short, food brings a lot to us. It gives us a sense of 'giving'. It provides us with camaraderie as we sit down for dinners in big groups. This can especially be seen at CNY eve dinners. Parents lovingly picking the chicken thigh with their chopsticks to subsequently put it into the bowl of their children. The young announcing the start of the meal by saying "Ah pa sek, ah ma sek" (Dad, Mom, I'm going to start eating now). There's always some uncle who wants the fish head so that he can dissect it and pick it clean (Chinese mah). It's interesting how effective food is to enhance the love in our lives. Even apologies are made easier... if you drink the tea someone pours you, it would mean that you accept the apology of the person who poured the tea for you.

Anyway, I'll end here for now with thoughts of what to eat for lunch.

The Legend Of Leica

Click on the photo for the full gallery of some quick shots I took of the Leica M8. I have this in my temporary possession until the weekend is over.

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

Once the weekend is done, I shall write a review for Click! Magazine for this wonderful specimen of photographic equipment.

What makes a Leica so special? Well some people say it's a photographic tool that's not only robust and superbly made and finished... but also one with no compromise in optical quality. It is said that a Leica M series camera allows one to walk around with a portable camera and produce lovely images with unflinching German technology whilst enjoying the sparse Teutonic design.

What makes a Leica so special, I ask again? It's also got to do with the intangible quality of the package. Leica M cameras make you WANT to go out and shoot. This is the new M8... Leica's first true digital rangefinder camera... and if you want my review, you will just have to make sure you buy the next issue of Click! Magazine ^_^

The Nokia E61

I had been using my faithful Sony Ericsson K700i over the past 2+ years when the LCD decided to conk out on me. While I had the LCD screen replaced for a relatively tiny fee (and the K700i works fine now), I decided to get myself a new phone.

This is what I decided on!

Now, having used various brands over the years, I decided that I really like SE's path of evolution and wanted to get another SE if possible. However, I didn't find any SE that would provide me with the following features

1) 3G AND EDGE
2) WIFI
3) Blackberry
4) Large hires display

With the absence of HSDPA handsets in the market, I needed a handset that would transceive data packets at optimal 3G levels...

See detailed E61 specs here!

I was glad to find the E61 being able to work at Level 10 EDGE and also 384kbps 3G (meaning optimum 1st GEN 3G speeds). It is basically the fastest mobile modem available while waiting for HSDPA handsets to be widely available. Couple this with Symbian S60 3rd Edition and voila... the E61 is the choice by default really. The browser works excellent too... and super fast for a mobile platform. So there it is - even though I swore never to use a Nokia again, this is probably the only GOOD VALUE Nokia I would buy right now. The only SE equivalent with similar specs and features? The expensive P990i. Sudahlah...

Kiss Me Goodbye!

Kiss Me Goodbye

Angela Aki's Kiss Me Goodbye (there's both a Japanese and English version - this one's Japanese). This is the theme song to the long awaited Square Enix game, Final Fantasy XII. It's been a while since I touched an FF game (last one was IX) and this one's got me hooked. I play it religiously every weeknight :)

Just a bit about the game... it's gorgeous, among the best of the games that show the full potential of the last legs of the PS2.

By the way, you can see this video often on Animax :)

Anatomy Of A Sailor

The Sailor 1911 is the classic flagship pen from Sailor. Though it looks like a Montblanc 146 clone, it's far from that. Sailor pens are often acknowledged to have the smoothest nibs in the world with 21k gold content (rare to find another penmaker with a 21k nib). This 1911 is fitted with an exceptional nib - the Naginata Togi (long curved sword). As you can see, the nib is multi faceted and produces a smooth line with some variation. It can even be used on the reverse side to produce a finer line. The nib is handmade by Sailor's Master Nibmeister, Nobuyoshi Nagahara and this specimen is a Broad version.

Click on the photo for the full gallery.

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

Even Guys Need Shopping Therapy

Some of us guys actually love shopping. Of course, excessive shopping is always bad for obvious reasons but we do like to indulge once in a while. I grabbed a new tie today. I love collecting ties (to match my shirts, cuff links and tie bars). I normally cannot resist if I find a unique pattern...

On top of that, I was walking around Isetan and suddenly found discounts on GEOX shoes. Now I love GEOX shoes. I bought one pair more than a year ago and it still looks like new even though I climbed a mountain with it.

GEOX's claim to fame are their patented breathable shoes where moisture can leave the shoe through the bottom but cannot come back into the shoe via its soles.

This time around, it's a pair of brown moccasins for me. I could not resist the supple smooth brown leather that's fine to the touch.

You can see the tiny holes that let out the air from the inside of the shoe at the soles.

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

Very fine finish... and at 40% discount too!!!

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

LOTS AND LOTS OF GORGEOUS PENS!!!

We had a small pen gathering at Pengallery on Saturday and I shot these (click on the photo for the full gallery). Lots of stunning pens were on display and chief among these was the Waterman Serenite D'Art (goes for 40k Euro retail per set).

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

Early Saturday Morning

It was a good morning... a productive one. I forced myself to wake up at 7 AM on Saturday in hope of blue skies. I was not disappointed. I made my way to the KL Mosque at Jalan Duta...

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

And after a quick breakfast of Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa, I made my way to the Golden Triangle area to present myself with the challenge of shooting in a cluttered environment. It was, in a way, a journey back to my photographic roots as I often did similar walks when I started photography.

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

Do click on the photos to view the full galleries...

New Playthings!!!

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan

As usual, click on the photos for the full galleries!

Interesting Reader Composition

Ever since I installed Clustermaps (see the world map icon on the bottom of the left side bar), I find my reader composition by geographical location is indeed interesting.

Click http://www2.clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=http://lanatir.blogspot.com to see what I mean.

I probably can guess who it is in NZ, the Middle East and Korea that's reading my blog. At least now I know I need to target Siberians, Africans, South Americans and Canadians next (maybe Antartica too)!

Not Blue Skies Again?!?!?

But we can't have enough of them... and when they DO turn up, it's on a bloody working day. Anyway, what to do but to gallivant with my F11 in hand and just capture some pristine skies that appeared today. I love Cirrus on Blue!