Oh gee, I've been back in Oz for a week almost, and this is only my first post. A little slack, huh? It's been family a-go-go here. Booze and food. Fish and chips on the beach on a cold windy day. Rediscovering old clothes. Patting the family dog. Shoe shopping with my mother. Drinking coffee with my dad. Cutting my sister's hair. Wearing two t-shirts, leggings and socks to bed. Asking if the heating can be put on in the morning. Cripes, it's cold!

I haven't made anything yet. These are images from some cards I collaged in KL. Oh, memories!

Tomorrow I'm off to visit old friends and new babies. Hurrah!

So goodbye KL, so long Malaysia. It feels so strange to be leaving. We did live together after all. And you introduced me to some new friends, I can't help but feel a little sad. But then, holy cow, tomorrow morning when I touch down at Tullamarine...I'll probably be really tired. But happy!

Leaving you though, Thistler, is very hard to do, so you hurry home ok?

Goodbye favourite local coffee shop. Goodbye sweet red bean pastry (will I ever see you again?)



Goodbye Bangsar. You look so nice at dusk, all blurry and glowing, the evening call to prayer ringing out.

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

It's home time. It's been almost nine months. Early Friday morning I fly fly fly out of KL and eight or so hours later I'll touch down in Melbourne. Oh my. So, goodbye swimming pool. Goodbye neighborhood.

Yesterday we went to FRIM. Oh la la, what is FRIM? Forum of Really Intelligent Mice? Oh no no. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, of course! It's a big park (with lots of buildings actually) where Malaysians practice a bit of Forest Research. Mmmm. It's on the outskirts of KL, but still in the Klang Valley. We were going for the canopy walk - a high bridge walk through the rain forest, so we packed a picnic and met our friends at the train station.



Our friends recommended NOT catching the train to FRIM, as the line was unreliable and overcrowded, so we caught a cab. Ooh, the place was rather not what we expected. It was like a little, spread out village with houses, schools and a few cafes. The rain forest was sort off around the edges of this. Down at the information center we were informed that the Canopy Walk was under construction. Oh no!
'But you know,' we were further informed, 'there is sooo much more to do lah.' (Some Malaysians like to add 'lah' onto the end of some sentences, sort of like 'yeah'.)



'You can go to the fish pond where, if you clap your hands, a huge fish will jump out of the water! It can jump so high, it could eat a baby monkey out of a tree, ok!!' (Some Malaysians like to add 'ok' onto the end of some sentences. Sometimes they add 'ok lah!' ;) Well we went to the pond and we clapped and clapped, all four of us together, but the fish wouldn't play. So we went to see some bamboo that we were told was the oldest bamboo in the world!! :0



Soon we wandered down to the picnic area only to discover it had been taken over by an inter-school event, where a large noisy game of musical chairs was in progress. We found a quieter spot by a waterfall and ate, battling over sized ants all the while.



Later we took a stroll through the edge of the rain forest, following the FRIM guide, which detailed the uses of different trees. Did you know that the Campnosperma auriculata is used for match boxes and sticks, packing cases, shoe soles, and disposable chopsticks? You didn't, did you?

Buckle up, you're in for a long post. It's a late one also. We visited the Batu Caves on the weekend, and I'm only NOW posting about it because I forgot to take the camera along so used my phone camera, and it has taken me this long to send the images from my phone to the laptop. Ok?

The entrance to the Batu Caves, a Hindu temple here in KL. It's dedicated to the god Murugan. Here he is, gold and glorious.

This is the elaborately decorated archway to the 272 steps that lead to the Batu Caves. It is very very beautiful. My images don't do it justice but they are my souvenirs so...

Three friends begin the climb...

as many monkeys dart around, food in mouths. Those monkeys will happily leap up and snatch any food you have straight from your hands. It looks quite frightning, so we left our peanuts at home.

A temple inside the caves.

Looking outside from within, a souviner shop to the right.

The descent.

Deities decorate the other side of the entrance archway.


In true KL style there was plenty of rubbish scattered along the sides of the cave :( We only visited the main 'cathedral cave', but it was pretty special. There's some history on the Batu Caves here at reliable (!) wikipedia. There is the yearly Hindu Thaipusum festival in KL where devotees make a pilgrimage to Batu Caves. Some carry jugs or containers filled with offerings, others attach offerings to their bodies by piercing or hooking their skin, often dragging the offerings behind them... Obviously the Batu Caves are a deeply important to Hindus, and the day we were there there were many (gentler) forms of devotion taking place.

Well, we had jaunt to Singapore this weekend. Oh! It was lovely. We caught the double decker bus from KL, which was a vast improvement on our last train journey to Singapore. Actually, it was awfully luxurious. Meal included, complementary tea, coffee and water. Pillow and blanket. We stayed overnight in a cheap-o hotel, and wandered the streets, eating and looking. We remembered how nice footpaths are and spent much time at the Singapore Art Museum and National Gallery. There was even a visit to Spotlight(!). Here are some shots to show you how darn bright and colorful Singapore was.

A Tardy Weekend Post

Saturday was 'let's go somewhere new day', so we trooped off to Central Market. It's in the city center and a tourist trap for sure, a bustling indoor market selling primarily Malaysian arts and crafts. Still, it was nice to spend a few hours fingering batiked cloth and woven shawls. There were also lots of badly designed t-shirts featuring KL landmarks. Our favourite spot was the antiques and collectibles area, where we found a box of ephemera - old used envelopes sent from Chinese migrants working in Malaysia back home. Or so the stall holder told us. We'll have to go back when we have spare cash and sharper bartering skills. Attached to Central Market is the Annexe, where all manner of 'fine art' is housed. No, it was pretty cool. There was a street full of portrait artist, each with a small studio where you could watch them work. The quality was pretty darn good, and we chuckled over the idea of commissioning a family portrait. (Like the one of the Kennedy family hanging over their mantle in Neighbours.) The real reason we made the trip to Central Market though was for the Annexe Gallery, a great contemporary art gallery. We saw a wonderfully tactile show called 'Please Touch' by Simon Keogh. So we did, and it was good fun!

After lunch we wandered out onto the street and eventually stumbled across China Town. I was quite excited about this, but it turned out to be full of knock off designer goods and sweaty people sneaking up to us and coyly opening a vinyl wallet saying 'DVD for you? DVD?'. Not very exciting. Still, not much compares to soaking up the energy of a city and you know what, we didn't buy anything remotely tourist-y. Except for a bottle of water...


Can you believe we didn't take any photos in either Central Market or China Town? All the above images are from the streets in between these two places.

There I am preparing for the masquerade ball tonight...No no, obviously not. I'm at the Butterfly Park in KL. We went there Sunday afternoon, and what a lovely afternoon it was. A real treat, though even more hot and humid than the city! I never ever go in for butterfly things, but boy, those little flying insects sure are beautiful as they go flitting by. We also saw a snake swallowing a live frog, some rabbits (bunnies + butterflies = happy tourists I guess), loads of scorpions, hairy spiders, rhino bugs, leaf insects and dead, orderly pinned and displayed butterflies and insects (all behind glass).
The butterfly park is situated in the Perdana Lake Gardens not a ten minute cab ride from our place. The Lake Gardens is also home to the Bird Park, the Orchid Garden, The Deer Park, the Hibiscus Garden, the ASEAN Scultpure Garden and the Malaysian National Monument. Whew!! Next time we'll take a packed lunch and see them all.

You know you live in a jolly neighbourhood when the garbage men yell out "Morning Miss, how are you?" as you walk past. It happened this morning as I came home from a trip to the local market. A chorus of garbage men greeting me. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The security guards were just as pleased to see me "Good morning Miss!" they chimed, and I almost forgot they were armed with truncheons. At the market almost every stall holder greeted me this way. When I went for coffee another chorus of "Morning Miss" sounded before I had closed the door behind me. I have never been called Miss so frequently! I wonder what it would take to be upgraded to Misses. Or Ma'am?




A few more who answer to 'Miss Maude'.

The man who runs the stall at the market where I bought my veggies this morning didn't call me Miss, but he was wryly amused when I refused a plastic bag and put my goods in my basket instead, "Sure you don't want a bag?" he asked, gently waving one around and smiling to himself. "No no, it's OK." "Oh-kay", he sighed, as if certain my vegetables will misbehave without the constraints of one. They didn't though, I got them home without mishap.
While at the market I tried what I thought would be a banana fritter but turned out to be Ewe Char Koay, a Chinese doughnut in two thinnish strips joined together. Mm, a doughy fried treat. I really should have saved it for my coffee as it needed a bit of dunking to soften up! The coffee shop was playing a soft, acoustic cover by a female singer of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer". Wow, so edgy!



Even my taxi ride home was an experience. The driver had Madonna pumping, and well, I enjoyed it! Ahh, Madonna. Sometimes just the thing in small quantities and in public places. Unless it's her cover of American Pie. Or any version of American Pie. I wonder if there's a Chinese pop song called "Ewe Char Koay"?

singapore oh singapore

Whew! We spent about 19 hours on a train this weekend. We thought a quick (!) trip to Singapore was in order, so boarded a train from KL on Saturday night. We thought it would be fun to spend some time on a train, see some country side, chat about this and that, that sort of thing. What is wrong with us? What induced us? Well, visa renewal for one. And the idea that you can get on a train to visit another country (a concept unknown in Australia). Even though we took the overnight train we decided to book out seats in the seating section, and not the sleepers. We were trying to save a bit of money. Saving a bit of sleep would have been the better option... But it wasn't that bad, really.

View of National Museum in Singapore

We did have a wonderful time in Singapore! Singapore is an island off the bottom of Peninsular Malaysia and was just so different to KL!! Footpaths, they had footpaths! We spent our time in the Arts district which was AWESOME. Galleries and museums and fountains. We really didn't spend much time in Singapore but did see a bit from taxi windows. Yes, it is very very clean. And at customs you must declare chewing gum. It's as hot as KL, but with so much art around does it matter?
Sunday afternoon we got back on the train. It was shorter this time as it wasn't an overnight train (they slow the overnight train down for a full nights sleep). We got home late anyway. Monday was a public holiday so we headed into Bangsar for lunch at our favourite Indian eatery and a spot of food shopping. Bangsar is beginning to feel a little bit like home, which is lovely! But we shall definitely try and get back to Singapore and spend some serious time there.

Singapore Art Museum

+wondermilk

This morning we sought out a cafe/gallery we'd been reading about in local publications called +wondermilk. It was in a part of town a 10 minute taxi ride away called Damansara Utuma. Oh boy, did we feel right at home!! +wondermilk is a lovely little cafe and gallery space showing art and accessories by local artists. They also produce a hugely popular range of cupcakes (called cuppacakes). While we were there we spied a camera crew and as we were finishing up our coffee (and a 'lovely lychee' cupcake) they asked us if we'd like to be in the film they were making about wondermilk. They were film students doing their degree through Curtain Uni. Fancy that! So, they asked us what we thought of +wondermilk and the cup cakes, etc. We felt a bit special being interviewed by local film students at such a funky little place! We had a chat and it was awfully lovely to talk to some artists again. Apparently +wondermilk is the only cafe of it's sort in KL, so I think we'll be making it a regular destination.


Photo looking in the front window. You can see the art and accessories for sale on the wall.



Thistler being interviewed, "Best coffee in KL for sure!"

It's a long weekend here in KL, Monday being a public holiday. Tonight we're taking the night train out of Malaysia down to Singapore, hanging out in the city for several hours then returning to KL Sunday afternoon. Whew, should be exciting! We don't know what to expect from Singapore (we don't even have a map of the country) except that it's very clean and it's illegal to chew gum there. I wonder if mints are OK?

In other news I got hold of a 'real' camera (i.e not my phone camera) and shall be posting some images of new brooches next week. I've been thinking about that old friend art also, so am hoping to ACTUALLY MAKE SOME real soon. xx maude

Have You Seen This?

It's not madebymaude or craft related.  It's personal really (being the flickr site of some folk I know who happen to be EuroTripping).   But by golly there are some beautiful images on this flickr site.  Here's a few:

the big rock cafe

seagulls

return

dial m

bright white light

Daily Life in KL

Gosh, I'm a bit slack with this blog.  Sorry!  Here are some images of my first month in KL (yep, it's been a month!).  We had a bout of consumerism last Thursday that included me spending ALL DAY in a mall and a trip to IKEA that night.  Crikey.  Next time I shall visit a park.  

Below are some pics I took while in the biggest department store I have ever been in.  It's a bit like K-Mart, except for one quirk...they sell pets.  Live animals.  In between audio-visual and furniture.  Thistler and I were shocked.  So we did what any bystander does and whipped out our camera phones.  Here you can see a little hedgehog curled up (this is the first time I've seen one in the flesh - the slice doesn't count) and four little bunnies cooped up in a cage, under fluorescent lights, in a noisy, bright, grass free shop.  They were also selling tens of baby tortoises, hermit crabs, guinea pigs and a scorpion.  A scorpion!  Anyone could have let him loose in that store.

                                                          lonely hedgehog and rabbits

Here are some more things I've made recently.  (clockwise from top left) 

1. A handful of brooches made a few days after my first attempt.  

2. Some containers for cotton buds and chopsticks.  So basic - recycled tins and yogurt containers covered in paper.  Works a treat, try it! 

3. More containers - I made these the first week I was here.  We had an abundance of water bottles and not much else so I cut them to different heights and covered them in fabric.  I used a light weight fabric on one and the light plays through it nicely.  

4. Brooches from the same batch.  I'm working with paper at the moment and am incorporating as much recycled material as I can into my work.  This series is loosely inspired by our visit to the Cameron Highlands last month.  

Daily life in KL.  Inside and outside our apartment.

Daily life in KL part 2 - eating habits. (clockwise from top left) 

1. At a local fancy-pants restaurant.  

2. Home cooked meal - stuffed and fried brinjal (a cousin of the eggplant).  

3. The remains of a meal at our local Indian eatery.  

4. The dragon fruit we ate the other night.  It's such a beautiful looking fruit, but a tad bland to taste.  Like a really really really mild kiwi fruit.  A little bit melon-y.  We ate it as is, just scooped the flesh out in spoon fulls.  The next night I got a bit crazy and mashed the dragon fruit up with a bit of honey, poured it over ice and added plenty of lime juice and mint.  If we had a blender I would have whizzed the fruit, honey and ice together.  And maybe added soda water, or used lemonade for fizz and sweetness.  Still, it made for a good and refreshing drink/dessert!

This feels like quite a while ago now.  These are images from our trip to the beautiful Cameron Highlands, about 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive out of KL.  These pictures are of the tea plantations there.  We enjoyed tea and scones at one of these plantations.  Well, the tea was much too strong and the scones were stale, but it was a lovely place!

P.S.  The quality of these images is pretty crummy.  Sorry.  Phone cameras, you know?