Today was pretty nice. I brought my camera with me in the hope of shooting some flowers, as I’m currently trying to hone my macro shooting skills. It turns out I forgot the docking clip which locks the camera to the tripod!

Oh well, I might as well practice and get rid of my trembling while shooting

Yes, my hands tremble whenever I press down that shutter button. It’s annoying me to no ends. But as for today, I just went around snapping whatever that looked interesting, including shots of Hup Lim, Terry, Zong and Alan.

After class, which was about 5.30, I left for Putrajaya to look for food to buka puasa. But not before taking away a pack of my favourite Spaghetti Alfredo from the pasta shop at HB3.

Since it’s boring to go to the Bazaar Ramadan @ Precinct 2 alone, I decided to head over to Masjid Putra, where there’s some scenery, and also [according to a friend] some good food. When I reached there, it was already dark and clouds were rolling heavily.

After doing a few more [unsatisfactory] shots, the weather changed. It started to drizzle. So, I went to get an umbrella that I always let Boy carry and went down into Selera Putra to get ready for buka puasa. I was expecting to see a typical food court lined with regular Malaysian food but since I already have that lovely lovely spaghetti, I just quickly got myself a [high-priced, RM1.80!] cup of soya bean drink to accompany the food. And the azan came.

After the main course, I walked around a bit to see what else this food court has to offer. Not bad, Nando’s, Rain Nudle House, Nasi Kandar, Chicken Rice, Dim Sum[!] and surprise, surprise, San Fransisco Coffee.

It just so happens that I was craving for some good cheesecake, so I went over and asked for a good one. The guy behind the counter recommended me the San Francisco cheesecake, but I went against that and picked a slice of Marble Cheesecake instead.

See that? I don’t spend much time in cafes [Secret Recipe included] and/or posh diners, but to me, that slice there, is bliss. Pure, virgin, bliss. Every scoop, every bite fills my entire mind, body and soul to the brim with satisfaction [this only comes to show how long it's been since I've had a decent cheesecake. Poor me]. FYI, that’s a pretty big slice, too, it’s bigger than the camera that shot it. And for less than RM8, that is one slice of heaven I wouldn’t mind enjoying again.

After prayers, I went to the fountain square, where it is rich with water, grass, and flowers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep my hands steady for any decent flower shots. So with frustration, I sat on the grass and left my camera there. And I thought, hey, maybe I could shoot the grass and play around with DOF manipulation. So I did.

Well, that’s taken care of. Off to Alamanda we go. What for? Well,..just to kill time. And perhaps get myself a better looking wallet, since I lost that favourite Body Glove one in Singapore *sobs*.

First stop, let’s see, oh there’s a Reject Shop! Maybe I can find a cheap turtleneck or sleeveless t-shirt in there. I just love going to Reject Shop outlets. It’s so much fun to see good looking clothes at price tags lower than RM30. Lucky me, I found myself a nice sleeveless t-shirt, and for RM14, it looks swell, too.

As I continued to stroll around aimlessly, I saw a familiar face riding down the escalator. It’s almost become a routine for me to see that face every Friday night, lol. So I decided to grab her attention.

“NIRAH!!!”

Oh was she surprised. Her mom was with her, too. Why am I not surprised? I was told that she would be leaving for home [Mentakab, Pahang] tonight, but it turns out there was a change in plans and they were gonna shop around Alamanda tonight. So, I walked with them for a while, at least until her mom went inside Bata [no prize for guessing what a woman does in a Bata outlet], and she escaped the ordeal to sit with me for a chat.

Here comes the nice part. We were nicely enjoying each others’ company when we noticed some wonderful music playing in the background. When I turned around, four men, each with an instrument, are up playing for the public.

And damn were they playing some good music. Their performance was simply stunning, with their own renditions of Selamat Hari Raya, I Will Survive and some other familiar songs. Over the course of 10 minutes a huge crowd gathered around them cheering and calling out ‘Encore! Encore!’ [okay, so I started it, but a few others did follow, heheh], to which they casually pointed upwards and simply said ‘1st floor, ya.’ with the Malaysians’ trademark friendly smile. And the show ends.

Nirah and her mom decided to retire home early, so we exchanged goodbyes and went separate ways. I went to the central area of Alamanda to see some Malay performers dancing and at one point, a silat practitioner danced to the high-beat music on broken pieces of glass and ceramic plates. A classic display of mind over matter, I thought, after realising I’ve seen one too many of these shows.

Went up to Fotokem to enquire about extension lenses, only to discover in horror that I would have to spend more than RM500 to land myself a set of closeup lens and a lens adapter.

Ah, that can wait, and I brushed off the idea. But it was all good. I did get a few decent shots, and though not on our regular dinner dates, I still get to spend some time with Nirah, which is always good, its a pleasant way to end a hectic week.

I’ve said this on countless occasions, but hey, I’m not the only one saying it.

Because it really is.

ps: If you know a certain place where I can get the bestest-est tasting blueberry cheesecake, do let me know!