Expo Milano 2015

Today is the culmination of a lot of the hard work put in at the office for the past few hectic weeks. 3 tender submissions in one day, today, and 2 others in the last few days! Whew!

Here’s another quick picture post. The brain’s too tired to think of what to write. But before I forget, here’s to wishing all those celebrating Raya, Selamat Hari Raya! Have a blessed Eid Al Adha! I’m off for the next few days for the Eid holidays, hehe!


Pavilion Zero, at the Expo Milano 2015

Here’re some photos of the Universal Expo held in Milan last year. Universal Expos are held every 5 years. In 2010, it was in Shanghai, China. The next Expo will be in Dubai in 2020! That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to see how a World Expo is like. We're building so many things here in Dubai in preparation for Expo Dubai 2020.

Our visit to Italy last year was a late addition to our original tour plan. We had planned to only visit the Alps, with Switzerland as the main destination (Switzerland has always been Anu’s dream destination). And then we checked the weather forecast. And it said that the weather would suck for the entire friggin Alps area. So I checked the map, and Voila! Milan’s just a short distance south from the Swiss border, and what’s more, there’s a World Expo in progress! So here we come, Milano!


Justin & Mommy at a grape & wine stall?


Yours truly, posing with some vegetables

Expo Milano 2015 is a food themed Expo. Its theme was ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’. That’s why everything (well, almost) at Expo Milano looked like something related to food! Every expo has a theme. The 2010 Expo Shanghai’s theme was ‘Better City – Better Life’. Expo Dubai 2020’s main theme would be ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

Here’re photos of some individual country pavilions. There’re just too many pavilions to visit, let alone photograph. And the queues were just amazing. I’d never have guessed there’d be so many visitors!


Justin at the China Pavilion


The Japan Pavilion, with a sake barrel headed monster! I’d be dead drunk if my head was like that!


The Korea Pavilion – No, they could spell. It’s just that Korea is spelt Corea in Italian


Anu waiting outside the Malaysia Pavilion, while Justin & Papa went inside (it was the only one we went in) – Just look at the queue behind!


The Thailand Pavilion


Anu at the UK Pavilion


The Czech Pavilion with a Car-Bird …or is that a Bird-Car?? What the heck! What’s this got to do with food anyway?


Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates – I have no idea what this is. Doesn’t look like food to me. Looks more like some scene from the movie ‘127 Hours’, or if your mind is dirty (like mine is), like some bump of a supermodel in a white thong!


That’s what you’ll become if you eat too much Italian food – At least the food in Italy gives you choices. In the German parts of Europe, the only food commonly available are bread, cheese and cold cuts. Have only that for a week, and you know what a paradise Italy can be when it comes to food!




Inside Pavilion Zero, Expo Milano – looks like some humongous Chinese Herb Shop with drawers stacked right up to the roof!


Our factory-styled hotel, Residence Rho Fiera, some 5 – 10 minutes walking distance from the entrance of the Expo Milano Site, right after a downpour. We had to wait for the rain to stop to start our visit to the Expo. That black Opel Zafira parked in front was our trusty rented car for our Europe Trip


Weird statues and buildings at Expo Milano, Rho Fiera, Milan, Italy – Now the sun is up! Maybe the rain was a blessing in disguise, made it cooler for us to visit. We’d not have seen this nice a sun if Anu & I hadn’t had this misunderstanding on where we’d meet up after we split. It took us an hour to find each other again. What a waste of time! Try imagining Anu’s face!

…Oh, some great news just came in about those tenders today. I think it’s time for a celebration at the company! Whoopee!

Wanna Adopt a Spire?

If you do, there’re a ton of church spires up for adoption in Milan! Yeah, really. The Milan Duomo (Cathedral) is running an ‘Adopt a Spire’ campaign, offering donors to have their names carved on the walls, or the gargoyles, or something like that on that famous church! Cool, huh? But you’d have to cough up like 100K Euros! Hell, if somebody gave me that sort of money, I’d tattoo his name on my butt!


The Spires of the Milan Duomo, Milan, Italy


A closer view of the elaborate spires - like something from an alien space-craft!

Here’s another picture post. Looks like my busy work schedule will continue into September. No, it’s not a bad sign. Quite the reverse, it’s actually good! Good to know that I’ll still have a job, hehe.

Continuing on Italy, here’s our one evening out in the city of Milan. And in Milan, it’s near impossible to miss the Milan Duomo. Heck, it’s the main landmark of Milan! This humongous thing of a church sits right smack in the middle of the city, facing a huge square, thronging with people, and pigeons. It has a hundred plus spires, topped with statues, projecting upwards from the cathedral, like a porcupine. And it’s absolutely fabulous. With only one evening in Milan, and that too, a Sunday evening, where else would we be, but hang around the Duomo like all the other tourists? So here’s what we did, in pictures.


Roaming the roofs of the Milan Duomo, one of the highlights I’d say


Sculptures on the spires


More statues on spires! Maybe if you donate enough, they’d make a statue of you and place it on top of a spire huh? If I were a rich man (make that an ULTRA-rich man), I’d donate a ton of money in the name of a cat or a dog, and ask them to put the statue of it on top! That’d be cool!






Views of Milan City from the roof of the Milan Duomo


Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), Milan, Lombardy, Italy






The immense interiors of the cathedral


Inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the fabulously ornate shopping mall beside the Duomo


Corso Vittorio Emanuele II adorned with the flags of the world. Heck, what’s a Malaysian flag doing in Milan?? Hehe, we were in Milan when Expo Milano 2015 was on!


What’s a visit to Italy, without having a gelato or 2, huh?

Here’s a note on the recent earthquake in Central Italy. When so many bad things happen in the world, news like an earthquake here, and an earthquake there loses its prominence, despite the devastating effects to the people who are affected. Whatever the disaster or the incident, if you or your loved ones are affected, the incident takes on a whole new meaning. Oh Lord, comfort and strengthen those who have lost someone or something. Bless the souls of those who have departed, and continue to keep us all protected against harm, sickness and evil. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Lugano & the Lakes

Another picture post coming up! Still friggin busy. Here’s a continuation of where I left off in my last post.


Lake Como, Italy – from a few hundred metres north of Villa Olmo, Como

Here’re pictures of Lugano, a city in the southern, Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, and the lakes near Milan, Italy. We spent a total of 2 days and a night in Italy. What can we do in 2 days? Let’s see… Why don’t we see a couple o’ lakes, visit a major city (Milan) and squeeze in a World Expo? Is that too much? Umm… if we don’t waste time, I think we could pull it off. Did we finally? Let’s say it didn’t turn out too well, but at least we tried! Here goes…


Lago di Lugano (Lake Lugano), Switzerland from Lugano’s Parco Civico – sigh, sky still grey & cloudy…


Justin & mommy, at the Parco Civico, Lugano, Canton of Ticino, Switzerland


Lugano, from the Ristorante Capo San Martino (sky seems to be clearing up, yippee!) – Leaving Lugano for Italy. Ciao!

Why Lugano? There’re a few reasons why I chose Lugano as a stopping point. 1) It’s on the way. 2) Some reviewer said it’s better than staying in Milan if you have a car. (Nope, cars aren’t allowed in the city’s centre, too congested and there’re restricted zones which will get you a fine. Just take a train). And 3) well, Lugano was the first part of Switzerland I saw in my first and only prior trip to Europe in 1994. We were in Italy, and travelled by train from Milan to Zurich. That particular day was a beautiful sunny day, and I remember how mesmerized I was with the whole journey – the beautiful scenery, the signboards on the train stations changing slowly from Italian, to a bilingual Italian & German, and to only German when we arrived in Zurich. (Travelling west from Zurich towards Geneva, will let you experience the signboards slowly changing from German to French!) Since then, I’ve always wondered how Lugano and the Ticino region is like.






The Gardens of Villa Olmo, Como, Lombardy Region, Italy


Lake Como (Lago di Como) from Villa Olmo – somehow the main attractions around the Lakes seem to be old villas of rich people and the odd church and castle

We drove along another lake (Lago Maggiore) on our way back into Switzerland, after a night’s stay in Italy. Our motto for trips: "Every Time a Different Route" (if we can help it, that is). Ciao Italy! Till we meet again! And I’m pretty sure we will! (Fingers-crossed).


Lago Maggiore, from the Piazza del Popolo, Arona – with a view of the Rocca Borromeo (Borromeo Fortress) across the lake


The Piazza del Popolo in Arona – a quaint little Italian town on the banks of Lake Maggiore, ...even better when there's a little car in it like in this picture. Reminds me of 'The Italian Job' hehe


Another picture of the Piazza del Popolo, Arona, Piedmont Region, Italy


Evening at Lago Maggiore, in Stresa, near the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees


Boat departing Stresa for Isola Bella, one of the Borromean Islands (on the extreme left). Isola Madre, another of the Borromean Islands is on the centre, right of the picture

Across the Alps in One Day

Rain in Ehrwald, Austria, with the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain, in view

This month is a mad month. 15 FRIGGIN TENDERS in 1 month! It’s like not even 2 days per tender (not counting weekends, OK?) So, it’s gonna be picture posts for the time being until work returns to sane levels.

Here’s a continuation of my previous post. As I was saying, we decided to leave Munich after only 1 day, because the brilliant weather forecast website that I relied upon when planning our trip, said that weather in Munich will suck, from Day 1 (which it didn’t). And not only that, it’ll suck for the entire German-speaking area which we planned to visit (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), for the next few days (well, it was still beautifully sunny in Munich when we left). Anyway, I got our rented car, and drove across …the Alps (what else?), in one day, to Italy.

No, it’s not too far away. Europe’s not that big, or is it? Hell, I’ll even take the less travelled route, not the main boring autobahns (expressways) that goes west towards Lake Constance, and cut south through the western edge of Austria. No, I’ll drive south from Munich itself, to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, cross the Bavarian Alps, then cut straight across Austria using the shortest and most direct route, into the Romansh-speaking part of Switzerland (I’ve seen the French, German and Italian parts of Switzerland in 1994, but never the Romansh part, …always wanted to see how this part looks like, not to mention the allure of St Moritz, even if just in passing, hehe). And there we were, in quiet country, with rain and cloudy weather, even in friggin Italy, and arrived in Lugano, Switzerland (where we had planned to spend the night), 5 minutes before midnight. Lugano is inside Switzerland. We effectively crossed 4 borders that day, Germany to Austria, Austria to Switzerland, Switzerland to Italy, and Italy back to Switzerland, in 1 day. (Imagine the face of Anu, who had to tend to the 2 kids while yours truly do the driving. …Well, how would I know that the roads in the Lakes Area in Italy would be so narrow, and that it’d rain non-stop??)

And here are the pictures, till another freer time.


Gloomy weather in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany


Justin, Papa & our trusty rented Opel Zafira, at Garmisch-Partenkirchen


Rainy in Ehrwald, North Tyrol, Austria


In Switzerland, right after the Austrian-Swiss Border – the hills in view are in Austria


The Village of Ramosch, Grisons, Switzerland




The road less travelled, between Ramosch and Scuol, Grisons, Switzerland


Bridge to Tarasp, Grisons, Switzerland


The Grand Hotel des Bains, St Moritz, Grisons (or Graubünden, or Grigioni, or Grischun). In Switzerland, everything has 4 names. There’re 4 official languages, and so 4 versions of many of the place names. The canton that St Moritz is in, is called Grisons in French, Graubünden in German, Grigioni in Italian, and Grischun in Romansh

And that’s all folks, for the day. …As it then became too dark to take anymore photos. It became completely dark after the Maloja Pass. So from there on, and the entire part of Italy from Chiavenna, to Menaggio (beside the famous Lake Como), and then into Lugano, was driven in the dark, in drizzling rain, almost the entire way.


OK, here’s a photo of Lugano from the next day – with the weather still cloudy, and greyish – and the weather forecast said that Italy / Southern Switzerland would be sunny!?! No, I don’t trust European weather forecasts anymore.

Thinking back, it seems like quite a good idea now, that we've decided not to go anywhere this summer, ...especially with the spate of terrorist attacks in Europe, and the plane accident in Dubai. Scary.