When my boss asked me if I was interested in attending a commemorative luncheon organised by the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) at the Westin Hotel, I said yes for two reasons: the speaker, the eloquent Dato’ Shahrir Abdul Samad, and the location. I never pass up an opportunity to visit the Westin.

As expected, the Grand Ballroom at the Westin was delightfully decorated and brought out the oohs and aahs from all of us. I couldn’t resist the urge to take out my mobilephone (on the pretext of answering an SMS) and snap some photos.

I love the refreshing and tastefully arranged bouquet on our table. I couldn’t resist photographing it at all angles:

And best of all, my cameraphone didn’t misbehave the way it did in all the previous photos. 😉 My ego has received a substantial amount of bashing due to the substandard photographs that I have been posting on this blog, but in my Nokia’s defense, one can only do so much with a cameraphone, you know. 🙂

I like the way Westin works with colours in the table presentation:

I don’t usually enjoy food that is mass-produced, but this time, I was pleasantly surprised.

I enjoyed the crispy cod fish with a lemongrass sauce that was not too overpowering. The starter included a miso-picked cream cheese served in a tart shell, and I thought it was absolutely heavenly.

As I looked heaven-wards (up), instead of the usual ornate chandeliers, I saw glass sculptures illuminated by light. I am quite sure they were designed by the famous Dale Chihuly (see www.chihuly.com). I first chanced upon his works at the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens in London, and I have been a fan ever since. See if you can see the similarities:

At the Westin

At Kew Gardens

Hmmm. The more I look at it, the more it reminds me of my hair.