A Wrap on the Year 2024

The year 2024 ended up being rather big (see picture for scale). What we thought could be a slow second half turned out to be drastically busy too. Not in a bad way at all, just very busy. Which makes one appreciate a smaller home again as one is hardly there ;-)

Highlights

KKB and the Grilling (2x): what a quaint little town this! The Container hotel turned out to be an oasis amidst the trees. Can't believe that was this in January the first time. So much has happened since!

A day trip to Bangkok to deliver 40Kg of magazines for an event. Cos it is cheaper than sending it via courier. Out at 6am, back in the evening after a relaxing lunch with friends.

MCVE 2024: Yet another exciting exhibition we hosted, the 6th of its kind. Living in the Organiser's Office again for a week and having to deal with all sorts of things that go Murphy's Law. 

My first Busworld, this one in Jakarta. And immediately after MCVE 2024 with barely a day to reorganise things. Followed by a trip to Bangkok for another event. Some Michelin bib gourmanded restaurant left an impression.

Making it 4 "Happenings" in a row, the trip to China following the visit to the Agritechnica was a real "Woah" moment. Things have changed since I have been to Beijing in 1998. I would have liked to spend the evening in the Tsing Tao brewery, but the program organised by the hosts has also been rather exciting. I would say that Qingdao is worth another visit, for leisure. 

WhiskyPLUS in Penang turned into a bit of a tour of the country with stops along the way. And several interesting additions to the collection from the event. Details are a little bit sketchy about the later part of the evening. 

Kuching for the food festival. This time we went for 2 nights. The first to scout the place and the second to really get the food game on. Highly recommended event to experience the best of East Malaysia!

What was most enjoyable about the trip to Germany were the walks to the bakery. I do miss some good bread rolls. Yes, we get them here, but it is a major logistics undertaking to have a steady supply. Lucky with the weather, sitting outside and letting the world go by. 

Having been an extra in 2 TV series and 1 commercial. I learned a lot during these gigs. Not that there is much of me to see, but I know that I am in it. Even though these were not Hollywood blockbusters, it was amazing to see what it takes to get a few seconds of footage done. 

The Japan holiday took on epic proportions with a lost and found bag containing passports. For a change, this was a trip devoid of any commitments to clients, so it was a different vibe. I have now been on the Hakone Tour four times, but this was the first with a stop on Fuji. I got shoes!

Christmas market in Shanghai: would have enjoyed it even more if buying the tickets wasn't such a hassle. Recommended for the mulled wine and the near perfect ambience, the most authentic to being a German Christmas market I have seen. 

Having "just one bottle of wine" in BoozeIt in Publica. What civilised afternoon that was. Four bottles later. Amazing concept to have the option to just sit there at the source. Good meat platter too. 

Naturally, there was also a lot of grilling, the week-long celebration of Chinese New Year, trips to Penang and Melaka, that dinner in Sabayon would rank high on the memorable events list too. Lost 4 kg in excess weight and continuing to shrink. 

Nothing is Convenient Anymore

 Update on https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/preview/2285495372779849830/3719618931095106319

After a full day of messing about with different phone, downloading loads of Apps that I will need only once in my life, lots of swearing and frustration, I finally managed to spend 8 EURO. Remember the days when you called your local cinema and just reserved tickets????

The organiser was very apologetic and I acknowledge that things may not always be easy (in China). 

Not all Whisky is Created Equally

 

Not all Whisk(e)y is created equal. I have been accustomed to Scotch and other Single Malts, blended Whisky that follows the production methods of Scotch. I also like a good Irish Whisky, cos they are little bit more punchy and robust in taste in my view. Bourbon is of course subject to a whole different regime. Thus, the taste profile is very different to what I typically savor.

Some extensive tasting of the Woodford Reserve took place the other day. Very drinkable indeed, I had it neat most of the evening. It actually works really well in an Old Fashioned. Now I need someone to gift me a bottle of Rip van Winkle for comparison please.

Nothing is Convenient Anymore!

It is 1993 and the movie you wanted to see has finally arrived in the cinema. You call the cinema. Tell them that you want to reserve tickets, giving the time and date of the show that you plan to go to. Show up at the cinema, make yourself known, pay for the reserved tickets, and enjoy the show. 

Modern tech makes all that so much more easy. NO IT DOES NOT!

Tried buying tickets this morning. Needs WeChat. which I am not using, and I am not downloading it for a one-off transaction. The App is not available in my country. Emailed these people. No response. Instagram another hot platform to communicate and not get an answer. Asked someone who uses WeChat to get the tickets. Booking platform not working. Not their first time running this event. Shouldn't be so hard. Also an event where one can expect international tourists to join. We couldn't join at the venue last year as the tickets were sold out. 

Just how hard is it to spend money these days....

Photos of Trucks

We tried it during the pandemic: get people to take pictures for our magazine. As travel wasn't easy, we thought that people have good cameras now on their phones and should be able to snap pictures. Nope. We got images that are too tight and there was no "Bleed" around the motif. Sometimes you want portrait. Other times a landscape pic is what you need. Mornings are best and if you position your motif right, the light is just stunning. We get mostly situations where we shoot the picture into the sunlight. Horror. 

Truckers not wearing PPE, the vehicle being banged up and dirty are other problems we faced. Overall, the result was usually frustrating. Admittedly, people are not professional photographers. And we know what we need. 

As a result, we now drive 8 hours to snap the photos ourselves while we do the interviews. Saves everyone the hassle and proves yet again that F2F is the way forward, not this whole online business. 

Who's?

Who's home? How to "make" Salmon Gravlax at home. This is a commercial entity serving this food. I see these signs often and I wonder if these places make their employees prepare the food at home....

Thoughts about Generators

 

I am networking a lot. I also like a good event. Whenever we gather, memories are created. Malaysia is a top destination for international acts as well as a canvas for creative local events. Being it an outdoor wedding, a gathering of food trucks or a community of truckers coming together to share joy, event facilities and landscapes in Malaysia make for the perfect venues to realise even the most creative event concept.

Conceptualising an event, organisers may find themselves in the need of support in the form of equipment that they do not own themselves. The acquisition of highly specialised tools and machinery may not be feasible for a one-off event, although the realisation of the idea may depend on such assets. This is where equipment rental companies can add value. With two decades of experience, local provider of rental equipment Contmark Sdn Bhd has been instrumental in running high-profile events. 

Firstly, an event organiser should be clear about the type and capacities of the equipment needed. Concerts for example require a lot of electrical power, supplied by mobile gen-sets. Gen-sets come in all sizes: from the ones used to power a stall at the Pasar Malam to heavy-duty machines that need to be moved with a truck-mounted crane. To set up an event, sometimes even specialist equipment like pavement breakers may be required. Contmark for instance has over 1 000 items of machinery and equipment at their disposal to deploy at an event.

The worst-case scenario would be the failure of the rented equipment. A superstar on stage suddenly being cut off and engulfed in darkness because a catastrophic failure of the power supply not only ruins the experience of the audience but can also tarnish the reputation of the event organiser. Even the prettiest outdoor wedding will not shine if there are issues with the equipment. Organisers should be confidently proposing their concepts, knowing they can depend on their partners. Therefore, those seeking to rent equipment should enquire about the service and maintenance schedules an equipment rental company is applying. Ideally, machinery is serviced regularly and fitted with the highest quality parts to keep them running without a hitch.

As with many technical items, one has to stress the point that the equipment needs to be suitable for the type of event one is planning. Taking for instance power generation, a gen-set may be required to be sound-proof in case of an outdoor event. This is something that may not be such an issue if the equipment is placed outside an event hall, where the noise emitted is not interfering with the event.

Setting up an event requires technical understanding from all suppliers involved. A simple mistake like getting the set-up sequence wrong will impact the process. As such, equipment rental companies will be required to constantly update themselves with the latest developments. Logistical expertise is part of this technical know-how and tapping int the vast experience of Contmark would allow event organisers to seamlessly orchestrate the set-up, running and dismantling of an event proper.

In the unlikely event of a technical issues, a quick response to have the event back on truck quickly is paramount. Here, Chew explains that Contmark would deploy an emergency response team that will be on site within the shortest possible time. Oftentimes, staff would be commissioned to be on-site when an event takes place in order to immediately intervene in case of a problem. However, Contmark seldom encounters such issues as they heed their own advise to keep their equipment current and serviced to meet the most demanding needs of clients.