KLM
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KLM Charity Tulip Sale 2014
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will be flying in thousands of fresh tulips from the Netherlands for its annual Charity Tulip Sale. The 16th KLM Charity Tulip Sale will be held at the Concourse Level of Sungei Wang Plaza on Saturday, May 10th from 11AM onwards. Each tulip is priced at RM5 per stalk and bouquets will be lovingly wrapped by the KLM staff, making these perfect gifts for Mother’s Day.
For every tulip you buy, Rabobank is generously contributing RM3 (RM1, so that your Mother’s Day gift costs you only RM5, and another RM2 to top up the charity fund).
That’s not all, for every minimum purchase of 50 tulips (in a single receipt) you will get a FREE set of Lanvin fragrance miniatures worth RM175 each. This special offer is valid only for the first 50 qualified purchases.
This years’ sale aims to raise over RM30,000 for the AUTORR (Aged Unite To Organize Rest & Recreation) Foundation. The AUTORR Foundation Centre is a non-profit, non-racial and non-religious place for senior citizens to keep themselves occupied with fun-filled activities and to keep their social circles.
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Venice
Evi had wanted to sketch Venice. Me too. And so we took the earlier train to go to Venice using regional train. Regional train is cheaper than the fast one; Euro 12 to compare to Euro 30. We reached Venice at about 11am and on the way to the toilet we saw a Moleskine shop! We dropped by the shop later and bought each ourselves a Moleskine Sketchbook.
So first thing Venice was Moleskine. Next was lunch! We were super hungry as we just had a slice of bread and a cup of espresso for breakfast. Evi had Penne al Pomodoro while I had Spaghetti alle Vongole. Evi sketched her lunch first, haha! I could not draw with empty stomach so I decided to draw later after I finished my lunch.
Then we walked around Venice to admire beautiful buildings and find a spot to draw. Luigi Barzini described Venice as “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man” in The New York Times. I have to agree him because every building appealed to me, not to mention picture-perfect. I could go on taking pictures of all buildings one by one.
I let my photos do all the talking below :
Venice is a city in north-eastern Italy situated on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.
The name Venice is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC. Venice has been known as the “La Dominante”, “Serenissima”, “Queen of the Adriatic”, “City of Water”, “City of Masks”, “City of Bridges”, “The Floating City”, and “City of Canals”. Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe’s most romantic cities.
Remember the hotel in Tourist movie? The orange building is the façade of the hotel in the movie. The building is called Palazzo Pisato Moretta. It is actually a palace.And here are two more drawings I made of Venice:
Getting to Venice: KLM operated 2 time(s) daily from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Venice Marco-Polo (VCE).
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Florence – the city of lilies
After the bookfair I had a day free and took the chance to visit Florence with Evi. Our intention was to visit Uffizi Gallery but we had to skip it as the queue was quite long. We didn’t booked the ticket online because we did not plan the visiting date. I guess this will give reason to visit Florence next time.
This was only part of the queue.Nonetheless, I took interesting pictures around the gallery:
Both were real men disguising as statues.Evi and I later wandered to the nearby Piazza Della Signoria and saw Neptune Fountain. Neptune seems to be everywhere in Italy.
The Fountain of was commissioned in 1565 and the work-of-art of sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati. The Neptune figure, whose face resembles that of Cosimo I de’ Medici, was meant to be an allusion to the dominion of the Florentines over the sea. The figure stands on a high pedestal in the middle of an octagonal fountain. The pedestal in the middle is decorated with the mythical chained figures of Scylla and Charybdis. The statue of Neptune is a copy made in the nineteenth century, while the original is in the National Museum.
However, when the work was finished, it was not appreciated in particular by the Florentines, who called it Il Biancone (the white giant).
Work continued on this fountain during the next ten years. Ammannati, with the assistance of the best Florentine sculptors and casters, added around the perimeter of the basin, in a mannerist style, suave, reclining, bronze river gods, laughing satyrs and marble sea-horses emerging from the water. The monumental marble and the dynamic bronzes give nevertheless a coherent impression. The fountain served as an example for future fountain-makers.
And then, we walked to the great Il Duomo!
Il Duomo or Florence Cathedral or The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) is the main church of Florence, Italy. Il Duomo construction was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.
The cathedral is one of Italy’s largest churches and the the 150-foot-wide (46-meter-wide) dome remains the largest brick dome ever constructed, built without flying buttresses or freestanding scaffolding, using experimental methods that many contemporaries believed would surely fail. But it didn’t, it stood there for nearly 6 centuries now. And do you believe that the creator of the dome, Filippo, was just a homely, hot-tempered goldsmith with no serious architectural training? I admire his brilliant masterpiece.
Geared with a cup of hot coffee, a Moleskine sketchbook and watercolor, I sat at Smalzi Café with Evi and tried to draw the building:
Massimo Ricci, an architect from an ancient Florentine family, dedicated his life trying to work out the construction techniques that Brunelleschi used to build the dome. After 40 years, he concluded that the geometry of the dome resembles the petals of a flower. Massimo, in his interview with Tom Mueller from National Geographic, laid out some of the evidence for his theory of the dome’s flower, which he considers to be the breakthrough in his conception of Brunelleschi’s method. He told Mueller, “In fact, Santa Maria del Fiore means Saint Mary of the Flower and the symbol of Florence is a flower, the lily.”
Getting to Florence: KLM operated 2 time(s) daily from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Florence – Peretola (FLR).
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_of_Neptune,_Florence
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140210-duomo-florence-brunelleschi-cathedral-architecture/ -
Bologna Children’s Book Fair
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the most important international event dedicated to the children’s publishing and multimedia industry. I was here in 2010. I wanted to go back this year because previously I didn’t have much chance to really explore the halls and really look at children’s books displayed at the book fair. I also didn’t have the chance to stick my illustrations on the Illustrator Wall because I didn’t know about it until I was there. As I wrote in my previous post, KLM agreed to fly me to Bologna to realise the many dreams that I wanted to do. I am truly thankful to KLM.
Me at Illustrator Wall.You see, this is the kind of book fair that I quickly feel belonged. There were children’s books everywhere. There were millions of books on display! Just imagine that I was like a child in her playground getting the right toys! And oh, Oliver Jeffers was even there this year! But too bad I didn’t get the chance to meet him. I collect his children’s books.
For your information, Bologna Children’s Book Fair has been around for 53 years. Bologna Children’s Book Fair is an annual event where authors, illustrators, literary agents, licensors and licensees, packagers, distributors, printers, booksellers, and librarians meet. Here they sell and buy copyright, find the very best of children’s publishing and multimedia production, generate and gather new contacts while strengthening professional relationships, discover new business opportunities, discuss and debate the latest sector trends.
I am proud that this year, my books and books that I illustrated were also being displayed at the Malaysia Pavilion.
Here are some photos from the book fair:
Dina, the character from my books was on display alongside with illustrations by Yusof Gajah and Jainal Amambing, two award-winning illustrators from Malaysia.
Malaysia Pavilion.
Me holding my book, Dapur Emak Saya, together with (from left) Yusof Gajah, MamaZakian andPuan Sri Diah, from Karangkraf.
Award-winning books.
I am crazy over The Forever Flowers by Michael J. Rosen and Sonja Danowski but it was not for sale. The illustrations only have 2 colors: black and red. Loving the illustrations and color concept. Beautiful book!
Marco Somà, illustrator of La Gallinella Rossa book, the book that I bought and offered as giveaway last March.
Me already thinking of going next year 🙂Getting to Bologna: KLM operated 2 time(s) daily from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Bologna (BLQ).
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Bologna
I stayed in a room (booked via airbnb) with another illustrator friend, Evi, and the room was cosier than Lorenzo’s place. It has hot shower and heater. We stayed with the owners, Katerina and Fabio, a very friendly and nice couple. We rented the room because it is situated near the book fair; about 10 minutes walk.
I had a day free before the bookfair and went to visit Bologna town with Evi, Pak Yusof (well-known illustrator from Malaysia) and his wife, Mama Zakiah. We took bus 35 to town and from the station we walked along Via dell’Indipendenza to Piazza Dell’8 Agosto. Previously there would be a massive Sunday market but when we reached the square, there were only few stalls selling cheese, vegetables and fruits.
We didn’t buy anything, so we walked back on Via dell’Indipendenza before reaching Piazza Nettuno.
Via dell’IndipendenzaWhen we got to Piazza Nettuno, we saw a rally going on. The rally, called S.O.S. Venezuela, was in support of students and protesters in Venezuela who are standing up against President Nicolas Maduro’s regime. S.O.S Venezuela was simultaneously held in dozens of cities throughout the world. The objective of the gathering was to create public awareness of what is happening in Venezuela as well as gain signatures for a petition to get elected officials to take a stand and denounce the human rights violations.
We sat for a while looking at the rally while looking at beautiful buildings and Fountain of Neptune at the square.
The Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno) is a monumental civic fountain with a bronze figure of Neptune, extending his reach in a lordly gesture of stilling and controlling the waters, is an early work by Giambologna, completed about 1567.
The logo of the Maserati car company is based on the trident in this Neptune statue. In 1920 one of the Maserati brothers, the artist Mario Maserati, used this symbol in the logo at the suggestion of family friend Marquis Diego de Sterlich. It was considered particularly appropriate for the sports car company due to fact that Neptune represents strength and vigor; additionally the statue is a characteristic symbol of the company’s original home city. Maserati was established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. Other than from Maserati, Ducati and Lamborghini was also established in Bologna in 1926 and 1963 respectively.
Apart from the fountain, there’s the City Hall.
The Town Hall (or Palazzo d’Accursio ) consists of a set of buildings, that over the centuries have gradually been joined to the oldest acquired by the city at the end of the thirteenth century. Renovated and expanded in the first half of the fifteenth century, with the help of Architect Fioravante Fioravanti, it was enriched with a clock tower in Accursio and according to examples common in central Europe, a carousel with wooden automata (Madonna with Child and the court of Magi). It was removed in 1796 (some of this still remains today, and is preserved with the Municipal Art Collections on the second floor).
The Town Hall could be trace back to 14th century. It became the seat of the Anziani (“Elder”), the magistrates of the commune in 1336, and later served as the city’s Town Hall until November 11, 2008.
Later we went walking to Piazza XX Settembre to look for 2nd hands books. We bought some art books at very good price.
After that were all very hungry and went to a Pakistani’s café near the station to have a late lunch. Lunch was rice and chicken and salad! Yums. I had been eating Pizza al Pomodoro and spaghetti for few days that it was good to have rice for a change. After lunch, Pak Yusof and Mama Zakiah went to the book fair to see the preparation while Evi and I went back to our room because it was about to rain. We took bus 35 to reach Viale Aldo Moro, the nearest stop to walk to our room and walked pass Don Bosco Park. We had fun taking pictures of flowers and birds before it was raining.
Getting to Bologna: KLM operated 2 time(s) daily from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Bologna (BLQ).
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_of_Neptune,_Bologna
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_d%27Accursio -
From Rome to Tuscany
It had been my dream to visit the countryside of Italy and when I got the flight booked few days earlier than Bologna’s Children Book Fair, I quickly agreed to follow my illustrator friend from Indonesia, Evelyn, to visit Arcidosso, a commune located in the Grosseto province, Tuscany region.
When I arrived at Fiumicino Airport in Rome,Italy, I quickly got on the next Leonardo Express (Trenitalia) train to Roma Termini, the main railway station of Rome, Italy. I paid Euro 14 for the ticket. I know I could get on the cheaper train but I was running late to meet Evelyn. I promised her to be at the termini around 1pm. The time was 1.30pm.
The station has regular train services to all major Italian cities, as well as daily international services to Paris, Munich, Geneva, Basel, and Vienna. With twenty-nine platforms and over 150 million passengers each year, Roma Termini is one of the largest railway stations in Europe.
Termini is also the main hub for public transport inside Rome. Both current Rome Metro lines (A and B) intersect at Termini metro station, and a major bus station is located at Piazza dei Cinquecento, the square in front of the station. However, the main tram lines of the city cross at Porta Maggiore, some 1,500 metres east of the station.
When I reached the station, first thing I did was to look for Evelyn. I found her at the main entrance waiting with her host in Rome, Pasquel. She got herself on airbnb room for few days at Pasquel’s home. Before we leave for Grosseto, I got myself a Vodafone prepaid data sim card for Euro 35. It is valid for one month.
Later, Evelyn and I bought our tickets to Grosseto by using one of the ticket machines located almost everywhere at the station. The fare to Grosseto is Euro12.95 each. We got the 16.20pm ticket so while waiting for the time to board the train, we walked a bit to Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore just to pass the time. I had been there before.
The piazza (or square in English) is a place where Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and Baroque bronze statue of Mary and child are situated. The current church dates from the time of pope Sixtus III, who reigned from 432 to 440 while the statue was erected in 1614.
After sitting at the piazza for an hour admiring buidings, we walked back to the station to catch our train to Grosseto.
The journey took us about 2 and a half hour before reaching Grosseto Station. Took some pictures along the way.
By the time we got there, the night already fell. We bought a bus ticket of Euro 4 to get to Arcidosso.
At first we did not know which bus to take. We asked around and a bus driver told us to take bus number 15 or 30. Then another bus driver came to us. He had heard our conversation. He told us to take any bus to Sienna, get down at Paganico and take another bus to Grosseto. He spoke in Italian with a little bit of sign language so that we understand what he was trying to convey. He had been so helpful and we thanked him In Italian words: grazie mille (million thanks). He seemed happy that we speak a little Italian.
If he had not told us that, I think Evelyn and me would’ve ended in the middle of nowhere in Tuscany. But I did told Evelyn that if we got lost, we should find any hotel and stay for the night before finding our way to Grosseto the next day.
A bus came and we saw that the sign shows that it will go to Sienna, so we boarded the bus. The journey took more than two hours to reach and we had to change bus at Paganico before reaching Archidosso. When we reached Arcidosso small town, it was around 9pm and most shops were already closed. As we walked looking for the place that we would be staying (Lorenzo’s Place), we saw one pizza shop that was about to close. We dropped by and ask for direction. The boy was so kind to show us the way and finally we reached Lorenzo’s Place.
Stay tuned for my blog post on Archidosso.
Getting to Rome: KLM operated 2 time(s) daily from KUL to FCO (Rome).
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Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
I had 3 hours and 6 hours layover from and to KUL respectively. That left me ample times to discover some of the facilities that I make use and came across at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.
Internet connection
Before exploring further, I went to get Internet connection at KPN Internet Centre & Zones. There are signs everywhere and I could locate the centre easily. The KPN Internet Zones are located at Departure Lounge 1, Pier C (near C10), Departure Lounge 3 (Pier G), Pier D and Departure Lounge 4 (Pier M). Schiphol, in collaboration with KPN, offers wireless Internet throughout the airport. I could even access the Internet right up to the gates. Options available:
15 minutes – Euro 3
30 minutes – Euro 6
90 minutes – Euro 12
24 hours – Euro 16I chose to pay Euro 16 and after that, I happily posted some photos on my Instagram account. Alternatively, free WiFi is available at Amsterdam Schiphol airport for one hour. Connect to the “KPN Network” for a maximum two sessions at 30 minutes each.
Internet pay machine. We can use cash or credit card to buy.Passport Control
I had great experience passing through both securities; one to get to E Pier where gate 20 for KUL flight were located and another one to get to the arrival hall. The latter security officer even spoke to me in Malay. I asked him how did he learned the language and he told me that he picked it up from tourists. I, however, had to apologise to him because I do not know a single Dutch word; only some Deutsch words. He laughed, stamped my passport and let me through while saying ‘Selamat Jalan’!
Shops before the passport control area.Food / Dining
While there are many food and drink options at Schiphol airport, I will just have to name the ones that I passed by. I did not have anything because I was still full from breakfast at Guegliemo Airport in Bologna and snack during the flight which covered my lunch. Here are some of the food outlets/cafes that I saw: Mc Donald’s, Food Village, Segafredo, Cupcakechic, GrabandFly, JuicyDetails, Starbucks and many more. You just got to be there to see all the food outlets the airport has; abundance!
Library
The Airport Library is the first library in the world to be located at an airport. Inside, it features the first iPads in the Netherlands, creating a spectacular space with a wealth of digital stations where passengers can read books, listen to music and get acquainted with Dutch culture and literature. Entry is free of charge. I picked up The Virtuoso and got to read many pages. Very interesting read Will buy the book at local bookstore. I also got the chance to charge my mobile phone and update about the book that I read.
One can find many interesting books to read here. There’s also Ipad at the desk to learn more about Amsterdam. Power port can be found on the desk as well.Rijk Museum
The Rijksmuseum houses a permanent exhibition of ten works by Dutch masters of the Golden Age from the Rijksmuseum’s collection showcasing typical Dutch scenes: the Dutch countryside, Dutch waters, Dutch towns, Dutch royalty, Dutch people and their families painted by famous old masters. My most favourite painting is Het stadhuis op de Dam te Amsterdam by Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde, 1693. You can google the title and name if you want to see the painting.The exhibition here changes a number of times a year. It is located on Holland Boulevard, in the area behind the passport control between the E and F Pier. The museum is open every day from 7:00 until 20:00 and admission is free.
This museum also consists of a shop that offers souvenirs specially crafted for the museum. I bought some Van Gogh’s postcards for myself as I am a big fan of his.
Shops
From gifts to souveniers to clothings; so many things can be found here. There’s H&M, Victoria’s Secret, Ako, Aviflora, Fleurtiek, World of Delights, Crocs and Body Shop, to name a few.Luggage Storage / Lockers
I saw some luggage storage/lockers located at most of the lounges. Bags can be stored up to 7 days and the rates depend on the size of the locker – from EUR 5.00 per 24 hours to EUR 10.00 per 24 hours.Children’s Play Areas
Kids Forest is a forest-like play area where your kids can run around and burn off some steam before getting on the flight. Hours: Holland Boulevard.Currency Exchange
Currency exchange booths can be found at various spots throughout the airport (before and after passport control).Prayer Rooms
There is a Meditation Centre is that is open to all religions located at the airside area (that’s before passport control if you are on a layover). The facility includes a library with text books of various religions in different languages.Smoking Rooms
Smoking is not permitted inside the terminal except in designated smoking rooms near the food concessions.Trains
I actually took a train to Amsterdam Centraal. Train service within the Netherlands and abroad are available from the airport’s train station. Schiphol train station is located directly below the airport. I bought my ticket at the big yellow machines for 4 Euro per one way. The travel time to Amsterdam is 15 minutes.
I did get to Amsterdam Centraal for few hours. Will blog about it in another blog post.Last but not least, my overlay transit was smooth. I went back in through the passport control by showing my passport and boarding pass. With the sign posted everywhere, I got to E Pier then to gate 20 without any problem. Like any other security check at the custom area, I just had to take out electronic gadgets from my bag, coins from my pockets and take out my jacket and belt. This is normal procedure and I know that security is very important. I still see people mumbling about the bottled drinks that they had to leave behind but I think maybe that was their first time flying. I just smile and put on my jacket and belt at the end of the custom check while walking to the waiting area to board the plane.
KLM flies from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to destinations worldwide. The airport has one terminal. The ground floor houses four arrival halls, the NS (Dutch Railways) train station and Schiphol Plaza. The first floor houses three departure halls, check-in desks, passport control, departure lounges 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the See Buy Fly shops.