Skywatch at Westlake Homes Kampar

“A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed...

It feels an impulsion...this is the place to go now.

But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds,

and you will know, too,

when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons.”

..... Richard Bach (American writer)

The view is from the students hostel in Westlake Homes, Kampar. I wonder why almost all the gates are opened.

So, how's your day today?

• You see a silver lining in every cloud
• You are on Cloud 9
• You see a cloud behind every cloud
• Something is hanging over you like a cloud
• Your head is in the cloud

Anyway, I wish you 'Blue Skies and Everything Nice'!

For more Skywatch Friday Season 4 Episode 21 pictures and to participate, please visit the Skywatch site.

The Lotus Pond at Westlake Bandar Baru Kampar

The view from the lotus pond at Westlake, Bandar Baru Kampar. The Bandar Baru Kampar township is located at the foot of the blue mountains and beside the scenic Westlake, an ex-mining pool which has been converted into a beautiful lotus pond with recreational park facilities.

The white building with dome shaped structure you see in the background is Hotel Grand Kampar and the surrounding area is the Bandar Baru Kampar township. Westlake homes which is a popular choice for UTAR students for accommodation is just visible on the far right. The pathway with telephone poles on the left is actually the main road leading UTAR campus.

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #61. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

Lakeview of UTAR Main Campus Kampar

The buildings across the lake belongs to University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) main campus in Kampar, Perak. It is located off the North South Highway about 190 km or 2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur city. Kampar is a century old, ex-mining, historical town with scenic blue mountains and tranquil lakes. Hopefully this place is a conducive environment for students to study, away from the congestions and distractions of a big city.

The campus master plan was designed by an internationally renowned educational planning consultant and sits on 1,300 acres of land.

A ground breaking ceremony was held on 12 January 2003 officiated by YABhg Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad, then Prime Minister of Malaysia, who delivered the keynote address as the guest of honour.

UTAR campus opened its doors to the first batch of students in May 2007. By July 2009, there were already more than 16,000 students studying here.

UTAR address is as follows:

Jalan Universiti

Bandar Barat

31900 Kampar, Perak

Tel: 605-468 8888

Fax: 605-466 1313

If you were a student, do you prefer the campus to be located in the countryside, a small city or a big city?

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #60. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

Student Accommodation at UTAR Main Campus in Kampar

This view is takan from the Tsing Hua Hostel at Westlake Homes, Kampar. It is situated in a valley surrounded by blue mountains. It is so nice to see mountains everywhere I went in Kampar town. However, I noticed that the weather here is much warmer than Kuala Lumpur.

Westlake Homes is a residential property located nearest to University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) main campus in Kampar. When I first came here to look for accommodation for my daughter, a friend whose husband is doing is doctorate at UTAR recommended Danish House. There is a large student population here and the place may be fully booked whenever a new semester begins.

Student accommodation here is managed by Danish House Sdn Bhd. You can view the room rates at UTAR website here.

Facilities

a.Each room has bed, mattress, wardrobe, study table, chair, curtains, ceiling fan, ceiling light.
b.The common area, i.e. living room or hall is equiped with refrigerator, table, chairs, ceiling fan.
c.Bathroom has water heater, some at attached bathrooms.

Services
a.Laundry service: Up to 7 kg per week (4 times per month).
b.Cleaning service: cleaning for common areas on a weekly basis.
c.24 hours security service.
d.Inclusive of internet broadband service

There is a grocery store, vegetarian food stall, computer and printing services shop here. There are also a few food delivery service operators where you can order from a printed menu. At least with many details taken care of, we parents have less worries but it certainly would burn a big hole in our pockets.

I heard that property prices here are very high. A 22' by 70' terrace house with 3 storeys and 8 rooms, 5 baths can easily cost up to RM half a million! This is the same price of a semi-detached double storey house in Klang and maybe a bungalow in smaller towns.

The new township next to UTAR campus is called Kampar New Town. There are more convenience shops, mamak shops, chinese restaurants, cyber cafes and shops selling stuffs that student need. There is also a hotel in new town. Once a week there is a pasar malam (night market) on Wednesdays. During the weekends, students can go to old town to sample Kampar's local cuisine and lifestyle. Watsons and KFC are already here. McDonald's just open its doors last month at Kampar new town.

This is my entry for the fun and wonderful weekly meme, Scenic Sunday #121. To participate or view other pictures around the world, click on the icon above.

The Lotus Pond Near UTAR Campus Kampar

There is a beautiful lotus pond near to the UTAR campus  in Kampar.  The 3-storey high houses in the background are popular among students from KTAR and UTAR. Many of the units are managed by Danish House but they are some houses which are individually owned and occupied by the home owners or rented out. The whole area is called West Lake. From our experience, Danish House is good choice for students' accommodation as they are properly managed and they provide adequate and efficient service (e.g. cleaning services, laundry, broadband internet access). Moreover, it is a gated and guarded enclave. However, the prices for food and accommodation here are very expensive, or should I say the most expensive in Perak state. It is like staying in a hotel resort! Pity the parents who are financing their children through tertiary education.

The most economical and common mode of transportation for students here is by bicycle as the buses are few, far between and always overcrowded. Of course, there are some lucky ones who own motobikes and cars to commute.

UTAR stands for University Tunku Abdul Rahman
KTAR stands for Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman (a college)

I hope you can see the reflections of the blue sky and white clouds on the water.

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #59. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

Camelback Mountain View at UTAR Kampar



Students who are on their way to the Kampar campus of UTAR often see this view of blue mountains in the background. The two mountains on the left are nicknamed 'Camelback Mountain' because they resemble the humps of a camel. The building on the right is UTAR.  It looks like good fengshui  with this stretch of overlapping mountains at the back providing the support and there are also 2 lakes some distance away from the main entrance for good wealth chi.

The famous Camelback Mountain is located in Arizona, USA.

Utah is a western state in USA. Utar is the acronym for University Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia.

This is my entry for the fun and wonderful weekly meme, Scenic Sunday #120. To participate or view other pictures around the world, click on the icon above.

A Chinese Wealth Sailing Ship

A wealth sailing ship at a Chinese restaurant. This is a popular fengshui enhancer used to attract wealth. It is even better if it is laden with gold coins, gold ingots and precious stones.

The ships usually resemble ancient merchant or explorer ships that were capable of sailing the 7 seas and return home laden with lots of valuables and treasures. War ships with cannon and ammo are considered a no-no. Also, they should be sailing into the home or office, i.e. facing inwards; otherwise all the wealth will sail out with the ship!

Do you believe in fengshui?

This is my entry for Mellow Yellow Monday # 91. To participate of view what others have for MYM today, please click on the picture icon above.

Grand Kampar Hotel

Today is ABC Wednesday

K is for .....

Kampar!

Kampar is is a former tin mining town situated in Kampar district, Kinta Valley in the state of Ipoh, Perak. It is about 50 min. drive by car from Ipoh.

Kampar's name originate from the Cantonese words, "kam pou" which means 'precious gold", referring to the rich tin deposits in the town.

The Grand Kampar Hotel is located in Kampar New Town or Taman Bandar Baru Kampar. It is a 3-star hotel with 155 rooms. The hotel building is constructed with Spanish architecture. The website of Grand Kampar Hotel is here.

Kampar town is famous for Kampar chicken biscuit and Kampar fishball noodle.

ABC Wednesday, Round 7 hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt and the ABC Team of Denise, Roger, Jay, Troy, Barb, Gattina, Sylvia, Annelie, Linda and Helen. To participate and view what others have in mind, please log on to this site.

Concrete Art at Grand Kampar Hotel Perak

This is a concrete sculpture at the fountain display in front of the Grand Kampar Hotel.

Kampar is a town in the state of Perak, Malaysia. Kampar was rich in tin deposits when it was founded in 1887. It was a booming town until WW1. Later, with the collapse of the market for tin in 1985, many tin mines closed down and Kampar became a sleepy hollow. Recently this town is once again bustling with activities due to the opening of University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC) campuses in Kampar. With an enrolment of 20,000 students from the 2 institutions of higher learning, it is hoped that Kampar town will be restored to its former glory.

This is my entry for this week's The Weekend In Black And White. My grateful thanks to Dragonstar for hosting this wonderful site. To participate or view the world in monochrome, please click here.

Picture Curtains - Weekend Reflections # 42

“Picture Curtains - Weekend Reflections # 42”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ on July 9th, 2010.

With digital cameras, we are now able to take photos in low light clearly, often without the need to use the flash. This is especially so when aiming the camera at a mirror or reflective glass. Otherwise there will be a ball of light or sparkle inside the image, which will certainly spoil my photos.

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections # 42. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

Dinning Reflections

“Dinning Reflections”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/

In Malaysia, many of the eateries serve Halal food and a Halal Certificate is displayed in a prominent place. You won't be able to find pork and hard liquer in the menu. 

• Asian dishes arrive on the table all at the same time and the main dish is rice. This is unlike western dining where we have appertizer or starter, the main course and finally desert.
• At Chinese restaurants, chopsticks and toothpicks are provided. If you don't know how to use chopsticks, you may ask the waiter to bring you a set of fork and spoon.
• At restaurants serving Malay and Indian dishes, it is quite normal for diners to eat with their hands. You may be served on a banana leaf instead of a plate. Don't be surprise that no fork, spoon or plate is provided unless you ask for it. A bowl of tea with lime juice on the table is for washing your hands, not for consumption!
• It is considered bad manners to talk while chewing your food.
• Muslims use the right hand for eating and serving food. NEVER serve food to a guest using your left hand. LEFT-HANDERS take note.

If there some table manners peculiar to your country or culture,
do share them with me.

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections # 41. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

CityDailyPhoto July 2010 Theme Day - Reflections

“CityDailyPhoto July 2010 Theme Day - Reflections”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/

Todays is City Daily Photo's Theme Day and for July 2010, it is "Reflections". I have snapped a picture of some reflection on the glass door of a hotel entrance under the morning (about 9am) sunlight.

The palm trees are from the garden in front of the hotel while the buildings on the right are shop houses and those on the left are terrace houses or family homes.

Can you see the lobby and a cake shelf inside?

This picture is suitable for the following themes:

a) City Daily Photo Theme Day - Reflections
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

b) My entry for Thursday Challenge Photo Theme which is "HOME" (House, Living Room, Kitchen, Bedroom, Nest, Hive,...)" To view what others have for today, click here.

c) This is my entry for Weekend Reflections # 41. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

Weekend Reflections # 39

I caught this mirror relection while having dinner at the Grand Kampar Cafe at The Grand Kampar Hotel.

What can you see from the reflection?

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections # 39. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

ABC Wednesday - T for Trip

Today is ABC Wednesday

T is for .....

Trip

During my Trip to Kampar town, I caught this scene while sitting inside the car. It was drizzling outside and the droplets from the rain look like tiny white pearls on the windscreen.

Kampar is a beautiful town in the state of Perak, Malaysia. Kampar is a fomer mining town founded in 1887. As it is situated in the Kinta Valley, the landscape is of blue mountains and overlapping hills.

This new township area called Kampar New Town is experiencing rapid development and commercialisation brought about by the location of University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) main campus.

The weather at the moment is sunny and warm in the morning and afternoon followed by showers and thunderstorms in the evenings.

Today is ABC Wednesday hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt and the ABC Team of Denise, Roger, Jay, Troy, Barb, Gattina and Slyvia. To participate and view what others have in mind, please log on to this site.

This is also my entry for Watery Wednesday #90. To see what others have posted or to participate, click here.