Launch of Times @ Pavilion

Times launched its seventh store at The Pavilion on 23 November 2007. I was invited read the chapter on Manglish. I did the proper English bit, she Manglish.

YB Dato Rafidah's parting remark was : "Not only do Malaysians speak like that, Singaporeans too."


I was there early and managed to take a picture of this lovely backdrop before the crowd thickened.


The authors mingling with each other. Chef Wan was comparing his and Siti Nurhaliza's Raya open house.


YB Dato Rafidah tossing the Merdeka Salad whipped up by Chef Wan. We all got to eat the yummy salad later. The core ingredient was so hoon. Mmmm... it was so delicious.


A gift for Dato Rafidah Aziz. Later I bumped into her daughter, Rohaiza, buying a copy of Honk! If You're Malaysian for herself.

It was good to meet up with other writers too. I met Florence Thomas, Amir Muhammad and Tan Twan Eng for the first time. Tan had rushed over from ntv7's The Breakfast Show. He's quite a shy guy but very nice. Also caught up with Lam Seng Fatt, assistant editor at The Star whom I've met once before at Menara Star.

The food was marvellous - plentiful and good to eat - all catered from the cafe located inside the Times. Do pay a visit to Times Pavilion.

The new store was outfitted at a cost of more than RM11 million and showcases more than 200,000 books and 600 magazine titles, said Ng. (Datuk Ng Jui Sia )

He added that books that could not be found in the store can be located at an online kiosk which gives access to four million English book titles.

The 18,000 sq ft store also has exclusive members' lounge, a 50-seat cafe and Wi-fi access.

"It will be a new book shopping experience and we have ordered special trolleys for customers to push around as they do their purchasing," said Ng.

Business Times, 23/11/2007