Sunday, September 11, 2011

Is it better to get off at the old rail station instead of KL Sentral?

Last Friday was my first trip to KL on the ETS which took only 2 hours instead of 3 from Batu Gajah. Being a senior citizen, I paid only Rm26 instead of the normal fare of Rm34, almost 25% discount.

Just before reaching the last stop, an announcement 'next stop KL old station' made me decide to get off before reaching destination KL Sentral. I thought it was walkable to Masjid Jamek where I was to take the LRT to Sentul. I had to ask a staff before I knew I had to walk northwards to cross the pedestrian bridge to get to Central Market and then to Masjid Jamek. It was not pedestrian friendly and the signs not useful for any first-timer. Initially there was a sign to Jalan Sambanthan and who was to know that it would lead to CM? Being ex-KLite, I knew where I should be heading to get to Masjid Jamek station. But my first try getting into the station was a mistake as it led me to the Kelana Jaya Line instead of Star line to get to my intended destination, Sentul. I would say it was worth my while to try out for myself getting off at the old station and walk instead of taking the LRT from KL Sentral to Masjid Jamek, since I had time to kill before DoReMi's 30th Anniversary dinner and concert. I don't think anyone in a hurry and unfamiliar with the route should do it.

After getting off at Sentul, I looked towards the direction where my former school clock tower was visible. In the foreground next to the station is Wesley Methodist School, formerly known as Methodist High School. I had to walk round some old railway quarters before I could reach HGH Convention Centre which is in front of my old school, MBS Sentul. DoReMi's boss, Lim Cheng Wah is also an ex-student. My first purchase from DoReMi was a set of bongo drums, sold by my then niece-in-law who happened to be working for them at their first shop in Pertama Complex. They have grown since and celebrated their 30th anniversary with great fanfare. We normally deal with Lim's sister-in-law, Alice who always give us 15% discount! Because I did not expect much, I was pleasantly surprised when we were entertained by their own band known as Doremians comprising staff members. They have a group of percussionists known as By Heart Clan. But the highlight was the demo by Roland's V-drum specialist, Tony David on their TD-9KX2 and SPD-30. It was amazing how versatile the electronic drums could be compared with the conventional ones. Then there was a young Michael Jackson impersonator who is good enough to make a living with his skills. The band Rade was impressive and I particularly liked the drummer who had the advantage of playing a well amplified Sonor drums kit by DoReMi technicians. It seems the staff in charge of setting up the mass of music and sound equipment were at the hall since 10 am! Incidentally, the first prize for the lucky draws (for those who purchased Rm1,000 and above recently which we did not qualify) was a Sonor set worth Rm26,000! The second prize was a Carvin Legacy amplifier and the third was a Washburn electric guitar. There were many absentees when winners' names were called and the eventual winners for the top three prizes were really lucky because some did not turn up!

More about DoReMi:
http://www.doremi.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=129
Link

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