KL Back to Normalcy

I overslept this morning, and driving from Gombak to work, I paid the price. Put it this way, I was reminded of how the traffic in KL was actually like. The crowds were back, schools were opened. and the customary an hour's morning commute to work was back. Bless!

I set off well after 8 and by the time I reached work, I was rushing already to start my morning rounds. Luckily thee was no clinic for me on Monday mornings. I was able to take my time going through the cases, before returning to the apartment for lunch and to pick up the Wii console we left there yesterday when we rushed from Bangsar to Gombak.

Afternoon clinic was a lot lighter and I was able to catch up on some paperwork, and of course ad the news. Last weekend was a busy one with all the admissions after the Raya break and visits to friends and family.

Julia visits Zehn

The dinner went well. Although the initial plan being just my parents to come along, my sister and her family came along as well which was great. And I was able to hang around for the few hours they were at the apartment while Siti for the admission to come through. And dinner was great.

The children brought their swimming gears along but the moment they got over into the apartment, they just parked themselves in the playroom. No swimming then. And it was havoc.

Anita cooked nasi minyak complete with the condiments. We chatted until it was time for me to start my evening rounds. And even then, the children were still playing. We better get them to pack their clothes next time to spend the night here.

Back in Business

Back to work today and was on call as well. The morning clinic was surprisingly busy and overnight, there was an admission who was quite unwell in the CCU. So, stuffs to sort out first thing. I finally managed to sort out the morning clinic just before lunchtime, in time to join Anita and the boys at the apartment. And then back for the afternoon clinic as well as doing out the admissions.

Anita was planning to cook tonight and has already invited my parents and sister to join us at the apartment for dinner. Hopefully the admission would be straight forward.

Weather was also holding up and the car park was understandably empty. I was writing the entry in the Doctors' Lounge and it was practically empty. Time for some coffee before reviewing the next admission.

FRIM Day Out

Today was the final day of my Raya break. Since most of my friends were still away, the "Rumah Terbuka" would only start this weekend in earnest. Kuala Lumpur was still mellow traffic-wise and we decided to do a bit of trekking.

Had been reading about Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve in the middle of town and decided to give it a go. So, we set off at 10 am, found the car park by the visitor center, only to be told that the Reserve would be closed for the the year, and would only be opened September 2013. We surfed the net high and low yesterday and there were no mention of the park being closed both in blogs and official websites. Talking about Malaysia going into the digital edge eh?

Even the lady at the counter was rather embarrassed with this fact. They don't even have presence on Facebook and their website were probably updated once in a blue moon. Fail!

Plan B then, off to FRIM. Again, we were told that the canopy walk was closed until next week, but luckily the trails were opened and we decided to stick to that rather then turn back. Again, no mention on the official website. Double fail!

At least they got to see some fungiBeing the first time in FRIM, we were lucky that there were hardly anybody else there. Parked by an entrance to a trail, by the picnic area and set off up the hill. A gentle trek, but well shaded and cool. Weather was holding up, but the track was slippery from the rain the day before. None the less, we soldiered on. The stream up the hill was inviting and there were a few families taking dips, but we decided against it. Anita had a phobia about leptospirosis.

After some time at the top, it was time to hike back down, but Irfan wanted to explore an old bridge further up the trail. It looked like it was an abandoned part of an old trail. I imagine that the trek was longer but it lacked maintenance.

The whole place got plenty of potential, but it was ashamed that it wasn't realised. The place was a treasure, as it was right at the edge of town, but seemed hours away. With a bit of planning and investment, the place could have gone a long way. It was glaring that I learned more about FRIM from the Discovery Channel than what was available from local media. Although the staff on duty were kind enough, there were no maps or leaflets available to enable the visitors to plan their day better. The maps they had on display were not the best ......

Energy booster for IdlanWhile Dad had some roti canaiEnded the stay by having a quick picnic. The picnic area has a couple of stalls which were closed during the Aidilfitri festivities. Roti canai, some tea, and the children had some cookies and other junks. Proper picnic. On the way out, we decided to explore another park, Taman Botani Kepong, but it turned out that we had to pass through an unpacked uphill road. Survived that into an empty park - there were hardly anybody else the today. We then pressed on home ......

We would definitely be back now that we understood the layout a bit more, but I could imagine that the place would be packed then. And with the limited parking space on offer and crammed trails it looked like a fun combination .....

Publika at Solaris Dutamas

It had been raining all afternoon. We initially planned to take the boys out to the park in the afternoon but the thunderstorm changed our mind. We then drive to Plaza Damas to let the boy loose in the indoor gym, but that too was closed. After a quick snack, we drove across the road to Publika as we had been curious about the place for a number of months. And it was a revelation.

The place was much bigger than we initially thought, even with not all the shops were opened. The anchor tenant, Ben's Independent Grocers - or BIG - more than made up for that. The place was a groceries shopper heaven! Upmarket - slightly less than than Jason's at Bangsar Shopping Center, but bigger size-wise. But that was just half of the story.

By the main entranceI was not joking when I said that the place was spaciousHmm! Artwork?Mooo!There were seats scattered around the walkwayIdlan trying out one of the chair. Verdict: uncomfortable.The place was spacious and parking was plentiful - although bear in mind that KL was quiet today with the city dwellers still making their way back from kampung after Raya. We explored some of the shops, but what struck me was the emphasis on space. The corridors were wide, airy and full of natural sunlight from the clear ceilings. There were also some artwork - mainly designed from garbage littering the walkways, with seating area tucked away at regular intervals. It was easily 200m from one end to the next, and there we also shops in the walkway outside. It would take one whole day to really explore the place.

There were interesting artworks lying about. Idlan was sure that this was a girl robot. I wondered why?This one was right colourfulWe didn't have the chance to venture outside. Maybe on the next visit.A quick dinner stopBy the toiletThe whole Solaris Dutamas complex was not just Publika - this was the main shopping mall. There were office buildings parallel to the mall, with roads linking the buildings. There were plenty of restaurants and offices around there, which I was sure had an exclusive ring to it. Where is your office? Solaris Dutamas. Got class maaan!

After a couple of hours, we decided to have a quick drink, then off to groceries shopping at BIG. It practically had everything ...... And that would require a separate entry .....