weekend recap...

BACK IN THE LOOP. after three unsuccessful attempts (and three wasted trips to KL sentral), i finally managed to get my touch 'n go card fixed/replaced. afterwards, andrew and i took the opportunity to explore brickfields (which, we can only assume, refers to the area's brick-laden sidewalks--call me a purist, but i still prefer the grassy ones). aside from its many indian establishments and puppy-filled pet store, the neighbourhood is home to the malaysian association for the blind (MAB). as we didn't reach the MAB premises until after walking down an entire stretch of road predominantly populated by the hard-of-sight, there was a moment of panic in which we suspected we'd somehow been transported into fernando meirelles cinematic adaption of josé saramago's classic novel, blindness. following that frightening episode, we made our way to times' square (megamall), where we sipped on some tall, fruity and absolutely delectable drinks (if somewhat imposing @ first, see pic). the restaurant happened to be playing one of pierce brosnan's later bond reprisals, which was fitting, as we had picked up tickets for the newest 007 installment earlier that day. i enjoyed the film's more gritty, less campy action sequences and character portrayals (the latest bonds seem to be receiving a similar treatment as the batman series). i also appreciated the film's subtle political undertones (raising the issue of public access to water in bolivia as well as america's past support for latin american dictators). walking past the intersection @ sultan ismail & bukit bintang, we came across a vast and amorphous herd of malay emo kids. from an ethnographic standpoint, it was fascinating to observe the social organization/rituals of this highly-selective group. in each cluster of tight-jeaned, flashy-teed, trucker-hatted youth, there was invariably one doing a six-step in the middle--an amusing sight. then, after grabbing a quick bite @ jalan alor, we decided to seek out a fish spa for some unadulterated fish-on-feet action. we were not disappointed. the process was quite ticklish @ first and, after getting used to all those tiny sucky/scratchy mouths, it wasn't half bad. i had the pleasure of being positioned @ the tank in the store window, which led many a passer-by to inquire about the experience and snap a few photos. a portion of this weekend's pics: