Swordie Bloggie

If you got talent, surviving in Kuala Lumpur is not a problem for you I guess…

For instant the street performer group ENJOI… I really enjoy their street performance. I have watched them perform twice… during TechEd SEA 2007 (which I did not carry camera when I saw them performing) and this year TechEd SEA 2008 (this time with my Sony T200). This video is part of my TechEd collection which I want to share with you all 😀

Digging about ENJOI… this is what I found…

“In 2003, a bunch of people started jamming together next to Bukit Bintang’s intersection. Using various kinds of instrument, they start to experiment with sounds and traditional music of different cultures around the globe. At the beginning, the group started with three core members. Later they were getting bigger by the involvement of many interested fans and friends. The group then formed a band, ABONATION, and recorded an album, BIRTH. Later they broke up. But the group still doing the street performance with a new name, ENJOI. With many years of experience, the band is now getting ahead with a style and sound, which they called, the traditional tribal music.”

You should be able to watch them performing staring from around 9.00pm… This is 3 part video which took me ages to upload to YouTube… enjoi it…

ENJOI 2008 Part 1 ( 00:40 minutes)

ENJOI 2008 Part 2 ( 01:36 minutes)

ENJOI 2008 Part 3 ( 03:47 minutes)

I still have a few more things about TechEd… on the first day, September 10, after spending our time at the exhibition hall, I attendend my first class… Steve Riley’s class Making the Trade-off: Be Secure or Get Work done @ 4.30pm… I never miss any of his class since TechEd 2003.

TechEd Fest is at 7.30pm.

To be continued…

ooo man… I’m exposed… Microsoft published the names of the TechEd SEA 2007 Blogger winners today (September 28).

I actually won 2 prizes in the blogging competition… one for the 4th round of the blogging competition and I got myself a Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 webcam… and the second one is really a surprise… Tech.Ed Supporter Award…  AWARD???… geeee… sound like Academy Award… Am I really a supporter??? I got myself a Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 1000 for that.

I only attended TechEd 2003, 2004, 2006 and this year 2007. well… Thank You Microsoft… and Thank You to the organizer, Crystal Edge… And of course, next year I will definitely attend TechEd SEA 2008…

Participants are given $50 voucher on the last day when we submitted our evaluation form… so, our fee for next year TechEd will be $599 only if we register early with the voucher, the same amount I paid this year… now waiting for the online registration coz did not register at the convention on the spot… come on Crystal Edge… bring it up… 8)

To be continued…

After lunch, we went back to Level 3. The exhibition, classes and labs are here at Level 3. There is something at Level 4… I think it something to do with educations… can’t believe it, I never visited Level 4 this year.

updated… (September 28)

 
On our way to the exhibition hall (September 10), we met butterflies… and I ask them to pose for me 8)

The crowd outside the exhibition hall… registration for tonight’s TechEd Fest games.

The TechEd staff announcing TechEd classes are going to start… but emmmm… nope, not going to class for now… 8)

  
Crowds inside the exhibition hall.

  
My dream server?… This is what at the back of a HP blade server… the turbine fans… I only read about it before coz no one has it in Sabah yet I guess… so this is my first time playing around with the turbine fan… I only played with the fans inside HP G5 so far… going to get it next year… LOL… $40K++ wooo… and that is only the chasis… can fit in 16 servers inside!!!

  
The D-Link… great webcame… they have 5 models… 2 with great feature, they require no PC but record straight into NAS!!!

  
PC game… HALO 2… too bad, they did not provide XBox 360 like last year… maybe they scared with the 3 red lights problem.

 
Maxtor… Helloooo…. 8)

The opening started at 9am and end around 12pm. Of course, after the opening is done, food must come, right… so, off we go for lunch at Grand Banquet Hall at Level 1.

updated…

  
Getting out from the Plenary Hall.

 
Going down…. to Level 1… to Grand Banquet Hall.

 
Crowd are piling-up at the entrance… door still closed… then opened around 12.15pm for…. RUUUUSH… FOOOOOD!!!

  
According to TechEd, there are 2000 participants (not sure if that figure includes the staff…)

To be continued…

September 10… Bonn woke me up around 7.30am. He already took his bath. I rush myself… took my bath, wear my shirt… then off we go. Since breakfast is not included in our room, we went straight to the monorail… the same journey we took yesterday. The monorail is packed… damm… we have to let that one… waited for the next one. The Putra is the same, but we just force in.

Reach Suria just after 830… the TechEd opening will start at 9am. Still have half hour. We took our breakfast at Dome… I can’t remember what I ate… but it was definitely not enough for my stomach although the bill is almost $50 for both of us.

It was already 9am, so we rush to KLCC… straight to Level 3 and the TechEd staff usher us to Plenary Hall for the opening… performance for the opening already started… COOL… the first thing I saw in the dance was the ‘mogunapit’ dance… the local dance from Sabah… the dance are lively… intermix with all kind of dance.

I will post my entire TechEd photo to my flikr later… I have like almost 3GB of photos… so if you like to see them, watch out for this channel… 8)

To be continued…

After receiving our kad keys, off we go to our room. Told the ‘porter’ to send our bags to room 417. Inside the lift, I asked Bonn if I should give the porter tips… he said ‘no need’… so no need lah…

updated… (September 24)

Once I landed on the bed, I just snoozzzzzz… I don’t think Bon slept. I woke-up around 4pm. I took my bath and started our journey to KLCC using my planed route.

Took the monorail at Imbi Station to Bukit Nenas Station. Then walked to Putra’s Dang Wangi Station. The walk is less than 200m but I felt it like 2KM… I was dragging my feet… mannn…. I have no energy… felt like sleep walking. Along the way, there is a place… looks like a bangalo… it got name something like ‘nature jungle’ or something like that. It was about 30m from the Bukit Nenas Station… There was function going on, looks like it’s over. I recognized the sound being played… it’s the Australian aborigines horn or ‘trumpet’… you know, the long pipe like bamboo… which makes booommmm sound… A bunch of guys were playing it, and becoz it is played through the loud speakers, the sound is tremendously wonderful. Wasted, did not take pictures…

We reach KLCC, straight to Level 3 for registration… no problem, cant get lost here… was here last year for the same thing. Quoted my ID TE0491… got my bag. Bonn got his too.

Then we walked back to Suria KLCC and landed at A&W.

My favorite Double Float Root Beer 8)

 
The nice A&W’s wall at Suria KLCC.

Then back to hotel for another round of sleep.

Around 8.30, we went out for food. Eat the ‘something’ Chicken Rice… can’t remember the name. It was next to Sungei Wang… next to the rows of ‘Arabian’ stalls. The food was nice.

Then we walked around outside Sungei Wang… then heard the nice sound again… crap… the bunch of guys we saw earlier are performing their Australian echo sounds again…. it was at the vacant area between Lot 10 and Sungei Wang. Dammmm… did not bring my camera… did not take their picture earlier when they practicing too… that is double dammm. Went to buy some drinking water after that and back to hotel for anouther zzzzzzzzz….

Our taxi driver… lets call him Samy, wookay… from the start, he was already stressful… we tried to start a conversation, but Samy seems to be concentrating at the major traffic jam. He was squeezing through at every opportunity (photo at the bottom). He was doing more stunts after receiving a call… he was speaking in Tamil, so we don’t know what the conversation was about… the call did made him doing more stunts… I know KL drivers do a lot of stunts… but Samy is doing more… hongking at every car although he was at the wrong… but thanks to him, we arrived at the hotel quicker, we arrived at the hotel around 2.30pm… wow 40 minutes journey… donno how late we will be if Samy wasn’t  doing his stunts…

Hotel said, room not ready… o mannn… I made the reservation a month ago and it’s not ready yet!.. I did ask for non-smoking room… the lady said it will be ready in 40 minutes… we ask them to keep our bag and went for foods!!! The only food I have since morning are the $10 breakfast and the rice on the aircraft.

We walk to Low Yat Plaza and straight to the food court. We landed at Kopi Club… ordered our food… and the service was so slow… after the food, we went back to the hotel… I needed a rest badly. Check with the counter, they not sure what is our room… damm… the lady is gone… now new shift I guess… they dig their documents and found my registration… then told us, they need another 10 minutes to find out if our room is ready… waited at the lounge… at last got our room… room 417.

Stayed here in early January this year… Royale Bintang Hotel.

The las vegas nv hotel offers economical rates and free breakfast. So it’s a good opportunity for you if you are on a budget travel. So you reserve hotel room with rates starting at $45 only. The hotel discounts are offered on many different levels ranging from bed and breakfast to luxurious trip packages.

To be continued…

We arrived at KL Central around 1.50pm

We proceeded to the taxi counter. Bonn and I decided to take the budget taxi. It cost $14 for the trip to Sol Melia Hotel.

When we put our bags into the taxi’s compartment, my bag and Bonn’s two bags can’t have enough room… the ugly LNG tank was occupying 1/3 of the taxi compartment… I did ask a taxi driver before if the LNG does save them money… his answer was… swearing… cursing… at the GOV… LOL. Bonn took the front seat and I took the back seat with my backpack. While at the back, I was imagining what would happen if Mat Rempit comes and grab one of our bag while we are stuck in the jam since the taxi compartment is not locked… only tied with an elastic band.

To be continued…

When I left KKIA, my checked-in luggage was 7kg… and with me is my backpack… we’ll see how much it will grow when I go back next Sunday 😉

Last year TechEd SEA 2006, I stayed at Cititel Hotel Midvalley. We took the LRT from Midvalley to KL Central… then with Putra to KLCC.

So, while on the plane, I was already planning my route from Bukit Bintang to KLCC. This time I stayed at Sol Melia Hotel, Bukit Bintang. Maneuvering around these areas should not be a problem. So, I decided to use the monorail from Imbi to Bukit Nenas. Then I will continue from Dang Wangi to KLCC with Putra.

 
We arrived at KLIA around 12.40pm

 
Then proceeded to KLIA Express…

 
My backpack and luggage (with wheels) on the KLIA Express.

To be continued…