The Promenade Kota Kinabalu

Unfortunately I was not referring to walking on the side of the beach here. But rather about the hotel I stayed in during my weekend at Kota Kinabalu. The Promenade happened to be where the MSH Scientific Meeting took place and staying there meant that I didn't have to worry about travels.

Anyhow, the hotel was more than capable of holding such an event. The rooms were just being refurbished. And you can tell from some unfinished fittings still left on some of the corners.
The wifi in the room was sluggish and not password protected. The TV channels were limited to 10, with only one sports channel. Luckily United were playing on Sunday, after I reached KL.

The lights on top of the main lobbyThe main lobbyThe reception areaA group of Korean climbers checking in. They looked to be very well prepared.On the first day, I had to get the plumbers to be sent because the toilet was getting clogged up from the previous tenant.

The breakfast was great actually. And the waitresses were attentive and polite, unlike some of the venues in KL which I was used to.

As for the hall, it struggled to accommodate the sheer number of delegates. We didn't plan for 500 people to start with, this being Kota Kinabalu and all. But we were wrong. Yes, we had to partition the ballroom for the pharma booths to fit in, which can get rather noisy. The ceiling in the meeting rooms were also rather low, but we coped OK. The AV system was UK although I stayed away from the wifi. My iPad has good LTE signal on the hall floor.

The bed was cosy enoughA nice seating area by the windowThe corridor from my roomThe hotel was also within walking distance from the town centre, the beach front and the Filipino Market which was a hit amongst the nurses. Transport in and out was simple via taxi.

On the whole, it was a pretty decent hotel. For lunch, I had some Chinese dim sum which was not bad. More of a working lunch rather than anything. Would definitely try it again if I return, although Sutera Harbour would still be my first choice.

Subak

It was a rather unusual name. I was sure there was a meaning behind it. Something profound!

That happened to be the name of the restaurant we tried last weekend for Mother's Day dinner. Located at Bukit Lanjan, it was certainly secluded although only 5 minutes away from the Curve and TTDI. The concept? Pretty much Malay traditional, but the food certainly wasn't. It was fusion, ranging from tom yam to wagyu steak. The only thing missing was sushi!

And the food was gorgeous. And the ambiance was certainly romantic, something I wouldn't mind taking Puan Anita for a date to.

Idlan having a feel of the ambianceThat's one big shell!That lead to the washroomThe buffet area was closed that nightThe dinner on Saturday evening was for my Mum, and my sister Julia and her family was there as well. We arrived there first, so Idlan and I went about exploring the restaurant while waiting for Julia to turn up. The layout was a plot of land on top of a hill, with the central area being open with a small water feature. The area in the outside were for big groups, while more private seatings for couples were scattered across the water feature, with the tables decorated with fresh flowers and lit with candles, to the sound of flowing water.

There was also area a separate area for parties. That evening there was a small wedding reception going on.

The path leading up to the restaurant looked rather slipperyThe children talking about games ....While the parents having a look at the boutique That's a nice touchI had a spare rib, Idlan had nachos, Anita had soto, while my Mum had some rice. My Dad went for steak. The food actually arrived in good time, and they were very well-presented and was very well-prepared. My rib was a bit too raw for my liking, but the soto and rice was delicious. All the food was prepared a la carte although there was a buffet area, which was closed that evening. The owner mentioned that there would be buffet during Ramadan.

We had a great time. The host came over to our table to greet us. There was also a small boutique owned by the owner's niece at the reception which Anita had a look at.

A wedding reception going on at one endAlmost doneThey travelled quite a bitLocated at the top of a hill meant that it took a bit of a climb to get up, which may be tricky if you have a bad knee. It may also be slippery when wet. The parking was also hap hazard by the roadside, and since the area was located in the middle of nowhere, security may also be an issue. Better be careful where you park!

I would highly recommend this restaurant for its food and ambiance. The price was also quite reasonable. More information about the restaurant is available here.

Season of Repairs

Not only that it was tax month, we were hit by series of needed repair as well. First of all, on return from dinner last night, our driver couldn't get the MPV to start. That happened the day before I went to Kota Kinabalu as well, and we got a local garage to have a look at it. Just a couple of weeks prior, we had some major repair done on the gearbox for the car which cost us a bomb.

So, back to the garage for the MPV. Hopefully the mechanic was responsible enough to see if what he had done before caused the current issue.

The next was a leak at the dry kitchen at the apartment. That would need a major job since the leak involved one of the kitchen cabinet islands. We had insurance for that, but hopefully the coverage would be enough to cover the work.

It hadn't been a good month this May, and it was only 10 days old! Hopefully my luck would turn ....

MSH Meeting 2015

Traditionally, the Malaysian Society of Haematology held their scientific meeting yearly, alternating between Kuala Lumpur and outside. It was held at Shangri-La last year and Penang the year before that. So, this time it was again time to venture outside of Kelang Valley. So, it was Kota Kinabalu.

It was the first time the meeting was held there, and the initial plan was to both do a small meet up with a very selected topic covered. Initially, we wanted to talk about bleeding in pregnancy. It soon turned into a two-day event, the first day being about bleeding and the second about clotting, both with emphasis in women. It turned out to be a great program, with the help of the International Society of Thrombosis and Homeostasis. We got speakers from abroad to chip in, plus have a nursing workshop the day after. It was great.

Le President, Dr Alan Teh with his welcoming speechOn top of that, we had 500 delegates and secretariats turning up. It was much better than expected. I must say that I learned plenty. On top of the of course, there were great food!

I chaired one of the session and live blogged the whole event - except during Friday Prayers of course.

The participation from the Pharmaceuticals were also strong, with the booths oversubscribed. All the symposium slot were also taken. The whole weekend was a resounding success. There are also write-ups from yesteryear's meeting here.

Wondering about Wondermama

I've been hearing about Wondermama for quite some time. Anita been there on a few occasions and enjoyed the food. So, after my haircut this afternoon at Avenue K, I stepped into one for a spot of late lunch.

The setting was local, with the theme being old kopitiam. There were nice touches such as big mugs and some old paintings on the walls.

Those now-famous window panesThese games really brought out old memoriesWhat caught my eye on terms of the decorations were this old games we used to play when I was a boy. It was before the days of scratch cards. You pay a few sens to draw a lot from the game which when you open would reveal a number. You then match that number to see if you won something. Something similar to a lucky draw. The thrill of winning was always there although deep down you'd know that the house would always win and make a profit. A mini gambling scheme. Not sure if it was still legal now though.

And then came the food. They were actually rather good. I ordered maggi mee complete with seafood. Idlan had some nachos with minced meet. Anita had some salad while Irfan enjoyed some pasta. As you could see, the food were fusion.

Time to orderIrfan with his three-layered drinksMy seafood maggi mee gorengI ordered plum - asam boi - and lemonade for drinks and it was ace. The iced Milo also came in big mugs, and tasted home made.

I would definitely come again although the nearest branch to my place would be in Bangsar Village. The price were reasonable too, very clean and the staffs were very attentive. At least to us...