Fluffy Beauty: Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair 2009

Kak Suja and Geetha have made plans to go for the KL International Book Fair in PWTC and lets just say we all barged into their plans. Hehehe. I really loved the fair, many many thanks to Kak Suja for ajak-ing us to this outing!

The book fair ends on 26th April (Sunday) folks, that's why I'm rushing for this blog post instead of reading my new books now. Hehe actually I snuck a few pages while the photos are uploading on the blog. Anyway, for more information regarding the book fair, click on this link. It shows the time it opens, floor plans, a list of publishing companies' booths and other miscellaneous information.

To Get There

LRT

Take the Putra LRT line to Masjid Jamek. From Masjid Jamek station, exit the platform and look for the Ampang line (will have signboards so just follow). Actually when we reached Masjid Jamek, there were many routes to the Ampang line station, confusing! Because when we came back it was different way la. Nevermind la as long as we get to where we wanted. I had such a headache on the way back I couldn't be bothered to figure out why we're at a different place pulak. Must surf internet to find out about the Masjid Jamek station one day. Well the last I went was 2 years ago ma! How to remember. It's so confusing, I'll never remember it! Anyway, when you've taken the Ampang line, go to PWTC station lor. When you exit the PWTC LRT station, you'll end up next to The Mall, cross the road (be sure to use the pedestrian crossing!) and you'll see an entrace to a hotel (don't know what name). Walk to the left hand side of the entrance and voila, you're in PWTC. My dad says there's another entrance but nobody ever uses there unless you drove. Who the hell drives in KL anyway?!

KTM

Kak Mastura took KTM and there's an exit at PWTC. I didn't take the KTM, sorry can't guide you in this area. Go to the KTM station and study the line! There are only 4 lines, what so complicated about it kan!?

View from Universiti Station platform.

View from the train. Good graffitti know!!

The Fair

There are 3 levels occupied by the publishing companies. Take note that the books here are arranged by publishing companies. Headache abit. Few things to note; I didn't see any Mandarin novels, and I couldn't find any new English novels (sad!). But I found treasure. Treasure which I've never seen before in my life of bookshop browsing.

I skimmed through levels 1 and 2. Upon reaching level 3, Veronica and my eyes widened. We saw Elsevier, Springer, McGraw Hill, Britannica, Taylor and Francis, Oxford and Cambridge booths. OH MY GOD. I wish I had RM 1000 to spend. Because then I'll splurge on reference books. Books for tertiery education! Plenty of medical books, accounting, finance, life sciences, engineering, social sciences, religion and etc etc etc etc etc. I even saw two interesting books on ergonomics.

Anyway what caught my eyes were the McGraw Hill references. I've never seen these titles of Life Science category. There's Animal Diversity, Anatomy and Physiology, Psychology; just to name a few that I can remember. God if I'm still studying 1202 I'd buy Animal Diversitiy - got a phylogenetic tree in a 2-page spread at the beginning of the book - superb. Veronica said if she's still TUTORING 1270 she'd buy it. We learnt there's a subject called 'Precalculus'. Is it to mentally prepare students before taking Calculus?? Calculus is a nighmare la, took Calculus I (only differentiation and function topics) as an elective and got a B *shivers*.

Another place we've spent a super long time in - the Springer booth. We just stood in front of the Life Sciences category and molested the book spines. Eiyor really very nice la the cover. Didn't bother to enquire the price. Because before that when we were in Elsevier, the books were listed in US Dollars and the fella asked us to convert to RM. So expensive. Dare not think. Kak Suja and Kak Mastura saw a book from one of these booths amounting to RM 400! They found out that the publishers came direct from UK! The Wiley booth guy also mentioned that these books are mostly 2009 books, it will be sold to bookstores later and he said the price will most probably be marked up. If we buy it here and now, it's at publisher's price with a 10 % discount. That also...too expensive for my liking.

Walk you through the photos ok?

The Cambridge booth. Plenty of categories. I remember a particular music and arts section at the farthest right corner of the booth.

Life Sciences!

Oxford booth. Didn't really browse through it. To Oxford's right is Microsoft Publishing. All books on their softwares I think.

Springer and Elsevier.

Yeah manage to get a shot of an ok-cute guy :) YES I have a liking for guys whose mata abit sepet ok!?

Life Sciences section in Springer. The topics go as specific as 'Sika Deer', 'Candida Albicans' and so on and so fourth.

This is a particular shelf in Wiley. Dummies series and travel books.

I didn't take any photos in Level 1 and 2. Briefly, Level 1 consisted of local publications. Level 2 has lots of school books, revision books and workbooks for school-going students! A whole stretch of booths was occupied by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. I saw magazines going cheap on the way out of Level 2. Past National Geographic issues were going for RM 5. What this fair is - mostly new books at discounted price and past magazine issues going cheap. What this fair isn't - a warehouse sale where books go from RM 1 to 10. Not like that! I had that impression when I went there actually :)

And still, to my disappointment, I couldn't find chick lits and novels I usually read. Either there aren't any or I just couldn't find them. Nevertheless I bought 3 books (show you later) - damn splurge. I have already overspent this month hahaha. Last week's RETAIL THERAPY, this week's book buying and tomorrow car service. Kuakuakua.

Anyway, be prepared to spend the whole day here and not to mention bring extra cash to buy buy buy.If you're in the academics line, I think I see some forms for libraries too. Maybe our UM Library can get books from the international publishers? Tutors giving tuition or parents should drop by too - plenty of those crazy workbooks to work your children's brains until their neurons ignite and etch memories on how to answer that Physics question using the 3 golden-forgot-what-they-were formula.

Epilogue
We reached PWTC at about 11 am. Veronica and I left the fair first since our pocket already empty and would like to go back to the lab. We said bye bye and left the fair at 2.30 pm. We fast-walked to The Mall for McDs because takut their McValue Lunch habis. We finished our lunch at 3.00 pm and started our journey back lor. Fantastic and rewarding day.

PWTC Platform.

Also PWTC Platform.

We have no idea how we got back here so quick and why we didn't need to walk the scary tunnel.

Scenery from the train ride back.

Stalls in front of bus station. Can anyone tell me the name of this bus station?

Random shot of the bus station again.

I bought all my books from Pearson / Penguin Publishing also on Level 3! My purchases include 2 organisation books (damn love them!) - both at 40 % discount - and a pictoral book on Holocaust selling at 30 % (original price RM 122, I know I'm crazy). This book was an impulse purchase. I was just browsing the shelves and opened the book and then I'm hooked. I'm easily hooked on this subject. "Dark and twisty" me kut. I've started reading a bit of all. So long never read anything. Feels good to finally open a book and immerse in it!

Upon reading some pages in the organisation books, I feel like reorganising my display shelving unit. *speechless*