Christmas in Kuala Lumpur

Our electronic tree

In 2010 Doug was released from the hospital on Christmas Day (a diabetes related infection) in time for us to go to a favorite restaurant. In 2011 we spent Christmas in Chennai. In 2012 - time to spend a relaxing holiday week at home.

Doug decided that Christmas required a tree. We could have bought an imported fir tree - expensive and we would still need to buy lights and ornaments. Pre-decorated trees for the most part seemed sad. Doug searched the web and found this tree and uploaded it on an electronic picture frame. We haven't discussed how long it will stay up.

On the 23rd as we prepared for the week we discovered one of KL's apparent secrets. Just before Christmas (the 23rd this year) seasonal items were sharply discounted. Christmas cakes and cookies were reduced by 70%. Candy canes were also reduced, but we didn't note the amount. Christmas trees were priced at 1/3 of what they were a week earlier.

Our Christmas week began with a dance performance of Viswa Vinayaka at the Temple of Fine Arts (TFA). The dance celebrates the life of Lord Ganesha The hour went by quickly - the dancing, the music, and the video backdrops were a treat for the eyes and ears. (There is a snippet of a performance in Perth last month.) Throughout TFA were paintings of Lord Ganesha and kolams. We could not photograph the performance, so to leave you with an image of Lord Ganesha this  kolam will have to do.

When we entered TFA I ran a local friend from the senior citizens' yoga class and sat next to her during the performance. While we waited for the program to start she told me that she danced up until the age of 16. She stopped because Malaysian Indian and Sri Lankan families did not think girls/women should expose themselves in public. She also told me that when the British controlled Malaysia the Sri Lankans worked as clerks and Tamil Indians largely were contract workers who worked on rubber plantations. (Love and Struggle, a fictionalized account, fills in part of Malaysia's history. It tells about Tamil workers on Malaysian rubber plantations during the last days of colonialism and the beginning of independence.)  Her comments through light on a conversation I had at a Tamil wedding - one of the guests told me that "this marriage is like Obama - a marriage between a Sri Lankan Tamil and an Indian Tamil.

Getting ready for dinner

For Christmas Eve we booked dinner at Croisette Cafe, the small French restaurant down the hall from our unit and across from the gym where I had worked out earlier. The menu was interesting and the price was reasonable. Dinner was tasty and has some items that we especially like. Doug raved about the duck.  The parsley ramequin was unusual - I would happily order it again. The Christmas log was filled with passion fruit and ice cream - yummy. I gave Doug most of the chocolate trunk, mostly because I find a little chocolate goes a long way.

The first courses were great - can it get better

Do I really have room for this?

Christmas morning was quiet and cool, a perfect day for a walk.. As it started to drizzle we ducked into Bamgsar Shopping Center (BSC). We snapped pictures of the fish, which were well arranged and tempting. Then there was the MYR1500 (USD500) hamper - no post-Christmas reduction.

Christmas Day Fish Display at Jason's (BSC)

MYR1500 (USD500) for that last minute gift

We ate lunch on the balcony using  glass place mats and matching cutlery - bought on sale across the street.

The main event was to see Les Miserables at Mid Valley Mega Mall. "Mega Malll says it all - I have no idea how many eating choices there are. Our favorite, almost every house guest ends up there, is Din Tai Fung where we have always xiao long bau (soup dumplings) and other treats That was our choice for Christmas dinner. The mall was packed - even lines for the escalator.

25 Dec 2012 - Mid Valley Mega Mall, KL
Just a little breathing room

A puzzling mall display

We are often asked - Is Christmas celebrated in Malaysia? You decide

Today is the day after Christmas and the radio station is playing strange Christmas songs, for example, "Roasting Chipmunks over open fire."