I have to admit that I almost, almost, forgot about this car show in Kinta City (Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia) which I bumped into almost three weeks ago. The dates on the photos indicate they were taken on 11th August, 2010. Duh!

Volkswagen Eos

I am not in the market for a car, be it a new or cheap used car, but I like to look at cars. I appreciate the beauty of luxury cars though I may never be able to afford one. The Volkswagen cars on display were supposed to be “new” cars in Malaysia; namely the Beetle, Passat CC Sport and Eos. If I remember correctly, Scirocco GT was not around.

Volkswagen Beetle

Malaysians are sad folks. Even if they could afford a more powerful Beetle, they only can choose between 1.6 and 2.0cc. In the US, there’s the 2.5cc Beetle too.

Black Volkswagen Beetle

The salesman who introduced Passat CC Sport to us was very good. He told me that I could arrange for a test drive if I like, without prejudice that I may just be yet another shopper that wastes his time without the budget for a car that costs MYR250,000!

Volkswagen Passat CC Sport

I tell you, even if I have that kind of budget, I’d rather invest in real estate but then people who own such cars probably already have blocks of buildings in their name or something. LOL But boy, look at the gleam!

PC Fair 2010 (II) @ Ipoh
What’s so funny, Denise the Menace?
PIKOM PC Fair (II) 2010 actually started in Tawau, Sabah in early July but the poor people of Ipoh had to wait until the end of August before it arrived. This is probably because the organiser failed to secure the venue, since MBI wanted to use the indoor stadium for their own PC Show from 6th to 8th August earlier this month.

sexy Trend Micro Girls
Get off the phone, girl!

I went to PIKOM PC Fair yesterday afternoon purposely to bring you photos of PC Fair in Ipoh on the first day. You probably would like to know if there are any PC Fair showgirls in Ipoh. Yes, there are and they are all here to promote anti-virus software. The most strikingly dressed are Trend Micro girls, though all of them were shy and tried to avoid my camera, unlike showgirls from other fairs and exhibitions that I visited where the models would strike a pose as soon as they see a camera, without you asking!

Kaspersky promoters

I can’t see how different this PC Fair is different from other previous PC Fairs or even the recent smaller-scale PC Show. The exhibitors are the same; heck, I even see the same shoppers, despite the crowd. I am sure some of them recognize me also. LOL

rows and rows of mobile phones

As usual, we are getting a good dose of notebooks and netbooks, mobile phones, GPS devices, digital cameras and video camcorders, CCTV systems, printers, speakers and a multitude of computer accessories from laptop backpacks to pen drives, memory cards and more basic accessories like mouse, keyboards and headphones. This Fair, mp3 players and external hard disks are aggressively promoted by various vendors.

‘Mickey’ MP3 players

Oh now I remember, there is a new exhibitor this year. The company deals in refurbished desktop computers, monitors and laptops. I was interested in a used monitor but they aren’t cheap! Is it even worth buying a used monitor without knowing how many years of life it still has? So now I’m looking for someone to donate one to me. Oi! Charity here!

sleek Garmin Asus M10 Smart3 phones
Smart Phone X Smart Navigation X Smart Lifestyle

At any PC fair, we cannot do without promoters of broadband internet. DiGi is promoting their Explore 10GB plan at a rate of MYR78 per month. This promotion is only valid during PC Fair 2010. The usual rate is MYR108. I was wrongly informed by a promoter that this monthly rate of MYR78 is lifetime but the flyer says that this rebate is only applicable for the first 12 months upon sign-up. These part-time promoters really have to do more homework or they would be liable for false advertisement.

the crowd at Ipoh PC Fair (II)

At the end of my visit, I only picked up a cheap mouse. I tend to kill them ever so often because of the many free online games that I play. I guess I click too fast too many times and for far too long. Anyway, if you are interested to visit PC Fair (II) Ipoh, it will be around until Sunday, 29th August, 2010 at Stadium Indera Mulia (indoor stadium), Jalan Stadium Perak, Ipoh.

MITM Travel Fair 2010 @ MidValley Megamall

When I visited MOFEW two weeks ago (yeah, that long ago!), I was lucky that I didn’t only get to see something new at MOFEW but there was a travel fair at the adjacent convention hall at the MidValley Exhibition Centre (MVEC). I didn’t expect to attend another exhibition and in fact, thought that I would only get to attend one fair since I wouldn’t have time to commute to another place as it was just a day trip to the capital city.

Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Airlines – MITM Travel Fair 2010 was held from 13th to 15th August, 2010 and was opened from 10am to 9pm daily over these three days. Adults had to pay an entrance fee of MYR3 per person but children below the age of 12 and senior citizens who are 58 years old and above get to enter for free. It was funny that we were each given a “goodie bag” with no freebies inside. Yup, we only had an eco bag with no free stuff inside! Tell me, what kind of goody bag is this? I am utterly disappointed!

simulation of MAS Airplane

I have never been to a travel fair before though I have always wanted to but with the caring of two dogs, I had to put my travel plans on hold. I have heard of friends bagging cheap travel deals and as a bargain hunter that sounded very appealing to me.

cheap China tours

I was surprised to find MITM Travel Fair 2010 more bustling with business than MOFEW. I guess everyone is looking for cheap travels and would be waiting for travel fairs like these throughout the year to shop for bargain travel packages.

Down Under vacation specials

What surprised me even further was that there were people actually BUYING cheap tour packages on the first day itself. Don’t these people have to plan their vacations in advance? I couldn’t make impromptu travel plans like that and I thought that I have one of the most flexible schedules around.

Visit Korea 2010 – 2012

With tens of travel and tour companies converged in one place, you can imagine the variety of tours available for the avid traveller, from local tours to more exotic desitnations. Korean tours are very affordable, if I may say so. Or maybe I was just paying special attention to cheap Korean tours since I am a great fan of Korean dramas and would one day like to visit the places that I have seen in soppy K-dramas.

affordable Korean vacation packages

Registration to the Saranghaeyo Korea Club (English: I Love Korea Club) was open for Korean Wave fans and Korean culture lovers. There were a few people in the queue so I didn’t wait around. Too bad the website URL was not printed on the banners.

too many cheap travel packages to choose from

Looking at the many flyers and advertisements of cheap travel packages pasted on every available space on the wall reminds me of the business of Ah Longs (loan sharks). I joked with my friend that if we sold off the flyers that we had collected to the “paper lama guy” (old newspaper collector), we could very well get back MYR3 that we had paid to enter the venue.

travel sales

Although I didn’t buy any cheap vacation package, going to my first travel fair was indeed eye-opening and I now have a rough idea of the cost of international travel. I just need to save more money.

all dressed up in Japanese costumes

By the way, if you missed this travel fair and would still like to bag a cheap holiday or check out the increasingly popular all-inclusive vacations, look out for MATTA Fair which will be held from 3rd to 5th September. The Matta Perak Travel Fair 2010 (MPTF 2010) will be held at Dewan Leong Wan Chin at SMJK Perempuan, Ipoh in Jalan Kampar, Ipoh.