VOICES OF HOPE

"Voices of Hope" is the charity arm of the TTDI-based Young Choral Academy. So far they have staged performances to collect donations for Nanyang Press Foundation (the underprivileged and single mothers), Cyclone Nargis Relief Fund and the latest, Pusat Jagaan Kanak-Kanak Kasih.

Many people missed the delightful performances yesterday (Sunday 28th June). Not many people know of the Choralton. There wasn't enough publicity. Those that came to the Multipurpose Hall of SEGI University College, Kota Damansara yesterday mostly heard about the event through word of mouth. They were entertained by more than 300 singers comprising of preschool kids up to adults. Even the audience sang during a special singalong segment.

The repertoire was eclectic. There were Malaysian patriotic songs totally different from what you hear on radio and TV, Japanese songs, Chinese songs and a tribute to P.Ramlee and Sudirman. There were choirs, duets and solos from 10 am to 5pm.

Part of the Young KL Singers delivering "Lagenda"

The biggest choir of the day from Malaysian Institute of Art with Ms Susana Saw conducting.

In spite of the lack of publicity, Choralton managed to collect RM12,000 for a good cause.

CLOSEUPS

When I suggested to Pak Idrus that he gets a Macro lens for his Nikon DSLR, I was already contemplating on getting one for my Olympus E500. Alas, Mimi's scholarship did not come so I had to adjust my budget accordingly.

Until I get my Macro lens, I had to prevent my Olympus from getting depressed due to inferiority complex. Luckily the Olympus E500 has a close up mode which is sort of a replacement for the Macro lens in a pinch. Here are the results of the shots I took today:

This is something a vampire-hunter should not be without - a clove of garlic.

This mandarin orange came during Chinese New Year. It really has a long life.

Rosebuds in the bouquet that Mimi got from an admirer. The dew is artificial, the flowers are real.

SUSU KENTAL

I have ranted about the shortage of sweetened condensed milk as early as August 2007. You might want to visit it here .

I still do not understand why Sweetened Condensed Milk is not available in Malaysia. After making do with black coffee for a while, I got my sweetened condensed milk from Singapore and Indonesia. Do tell your friends/relatives coming from those places that they will not be allowed to hand-carry the milk on the plane. Check them in together with the checked baggage.

For susu pekat manis addicts without relatives or pliable friends travelling overseas, there is good news. There is a shop in Jalan Chow Kit importing Susu Kental Manis Indomilk.

The regular white version is sold at RM 3.90 per tin while the chocolate version is cheaper. So diehard condensed milk lovers, make your way to MK Toys and Snacks shop and ask for Ms.Lee. If you cannot locate the shop, call her at 03-2693 6328 for directions.

Cheers!

THE PAINT JOB

To the residents of Vista Angkasa, the scruffiest condominium along the Federal Highway, the best thing to happen this year was the PM's visit to the place during his first week of becoming PM. I was not around during this visit but I was glad that the PM ordered the place to be repainted.

In the last week of May, they started the paint job. Instead of using the old-fashioned bamboo scaffoldings, the contractor uses electric gondolas.

One side of Block 7 is cleaned using water jet...

...before one coat of paint is applied.

The painters take long and frequent rests between jobs. At the moment, I have not seen them touching any of the blocks. The gondolas are on the ground. It has been days of no activity. I just hope that the buildings are repainted in time for Hari Raya. I guess if we can wait for 12 years for the paint job, we can wait for a few more weeks. Amin!!!