Taiping Lake Gardens

I was in Taiping recently for a purpose and was delighted to revisit some of the most memorable sites during my childhood. A trip to this historic town would be incomplete without visiting the Taiping lake gardens.

Random views of the lake garden from the 5th floor of Flemington Hotel...



Trees of more than a century old touching the waters...


This is where mom+daughter had a picture taken together back in 1984.... This spot remains as serene as ever.


A gloomy evening...



Fancying a ride across the lake...

View of the lake from a mini plateau...


A stroll along the path of the lake garden...

There's no traffic hassle in the morning of a typical working day... splendid! At this point, I tried imagine myself as a resident of Taiping, life must be so much more pleasant and less stressful.

The nostalgic slide that I used to play on during my pre-sibling days, just like other kids in Taiping back then.


Lake of lotus with the zig-zag bridge...

As far as I know, the zig-zag bridge has been in existence for a long time... I've seen a black-and-white photo of it in my mom's album.

An image of Maxwell Hill (or Bukit Larut) as reflected in the waters...

It's been 19 years ago since I last went up to Maxwell Hill

The TTT wordings erected not too long ago...

This is the Sky Bar of Flemington prior to a heavy shower... a fun but risky swim under the rain, anyone? :P


Depending on one's preference, Taiping is the place to be for anyone who likes a serene environment with plenty of greenery, delicious hawkers' food, and a quiet place to relax.

P/S: Taiping is my mother's hometown, also partly mine as I spent a significant amount of time there during my early years.

6 months ago & 5 more days

Dear Mom,


Today marks the 6th month after you left us... and 5 days to the day to the W-Day.

~Time flies within a heartbeat, but our memories together are deeply carved within our souls... unfaded by time~

Yours forever,
-me-

Concert Day

School semester is coming to an end soon and KLCC was packed with many schoolboys and girls from various states for their school trip over the weekend.

The fountain of KLCC Park as seen from inside Suria KLCC

What's most memorable about this visit is none other than "Bach to the Future" presented by MPO and Platypus Theatre...


Yes, I enjoyed it very much! Likewise my husband who's attending concert at DFP for the first time. Indeed, "Bach to the Future" is an interesting and fun way of introducing classical music to children as well as adults. :)

P/S: I did not take any photo inside DFP.

For a Start: "Bach to the Future"

Lately, I've suddenly came to the realisation that I've missed out a lot, especially with regard to music. I've missed so many good stuff after my last presence at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) back to the days when I was in college.

To begin with
I'm no music scholar, but only a music lover in a layperson's capacity. After so many years of M.I.A. from music apart from the fact of not playing for more than a decade until recently, I'm glad and look forward to be back to one of my long abandoned hobbies.

In reviving a long abandoned hobby, I've chosen something casual, less formal but interesting to start with... a "Family Fun Day" concert. As if I'm one of those with families to bring to the concert when in fact I'm not, and far from being one.

Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra - Bach to the Future


This concert+theater is jointly performed by MPO and Platypus Theater.

The repertoire of music for "Bach to the Future":

Ridout, Godfrey	Fall Fair
Bach, J.S.	Suite No. 1 (1st movement)
Bach, J.S.	Suite No. 3 (“Air” and “Gigue”)
Mozart	Symphony No. 40 (1st, 2nd and 4th movements)
Beethoven	Leonore Overture No. 3
Beethoven	Symphony No. 5 (3rd and 4th movements)
Dvorak	Slavonic Dance No. 8. op. 46
Dvorak	New World Symphony (“Largo”)
Shostakovitch	Symphony No. 5 (4th movement)

Source: Platypus Theater

I think it's a nice selection of music which will likely be appreciated by most people regardless of age or musical background. The repertoire is pretty light, comprising selected movements of a few famous symphonies that are probably already familiar to most of us esp. through TV advertisements or even dramas. *.*

With respect to attending concerts at DFP, it's a myth that such entertainment is only for the rich and classy. But it is undeniable that good ethics in the concert hall are very important and should be strictly adhered to... inter alia observe the dress code, keep your phone off, make no noise, do not play with gadgets while the concert is ongoing, etc.

The tickets sold at DFP are very reasonably-priced, mostly (if not all) cheaper than those of pop concerts held in the stadium.