Yesterday's Do

Irfan's birthday party finally took place yesterday. As per his request, it was held at KL Bird Park, where Idlan had his last year. On that occasion, Irfan really enjoyed himself, so much so that he specifically wanted his big day to be there as well. He got his wish yesterday. This time, we mainly invited his school friends, but disappointingly, some cancelled at the last minute. Those who came - around 20 children, had a whale of a time.

What was obvious was the fact that the patents were impressed as well. Though most of them had heard of the bird park, not all of them have been there. Even those who have been there were not aware of a restaurant they have there called the Hornbill. One don't need to enter the park to enjoy the food there and from past experiences, the food there have been excellent.

Hornbill also host rents such as birthday parties and corporate dos. We learned about it when Anita had lunch there a couple of years and tried it foe Idlan's birthday last year. It was a hit then. The food was good and the event was very well organised by the resident event manager. The package included food, entrance to the park as well as private tour with one of the rangers. The children also enjoyed a bird show at the amphitheater. There were plenty of activities to be had, and the children really enjoyed. Shame for those who cancelled or did not turn up as it was not your typical birthday party.

I will blog about the actual event later with more pictures. Rather pushed for time at the minute.

On being on call

Wow! Can't believe how heavy it rained just now. I noticed some debris were flying near the construction site at UMMC just then, it was that bad. Now the rain has stopped and we were bracing ourselves for admission at the Trauma Center. I will be on call tonight.

But it wasn't half bad actually. Gone were the days when I was on call for 56 hours at a stretch. Gone were the days going overnight without food, just keeping awake on adrenaline alone. At least now I can afford to go home after the evening rounds and expect calls to discuss emergency rather than physically having to be there. Can't complain really!

Holiday was over

The five day break was coming to an end. Spent most of the time just chilling and organizing the plan for the coming months. March will start with a trip to Myanmar, followed by a couple of weeks later in Singapore. Then Kuching end of April and London the beginning of June. I will hardly have a free weekend from now on until July. That's life I supposed.

Much of the time was spent organising Irfan's party this coming weekend. It will be his schoolmate coming for the party rather than the cousins like we did last year. Irfan has been busy inviting. Mainly his new classmates, and so was Idlan. Even though we got the main stuff covered, Anita wanted the goody bags to be sorted out with a personal touch.

The day started out with us taking my Mum out for breakfast. We went to a local PappaRich, after which we took her after to do some groceries shopping. She has another eye appointment tomorrow, but her vision was getting better. The eyes were nowhere as red as it was a couple of weeks back, buy the vision was still blurry.

I spent the afternoon with Irfan while Anita did more shopping for the goody bags with her Mum. Got most of my paperwork done, but still plenty to do during the weekend. I will also be on call again tomorrow, so will only be back home rather late. I'll probably finish the main bulk of the paperwork while waiting for the evening rounds.

KL Butterfly Park

After my walkabout around Bukit Bintang, I took my 7D for a spin. Truth be told, it probably needed some dusting off! Destination - KL Butterfly Garden. I was praying for the weather to hold. It did become overcast, but I had a window of about 45 minutes to snap away.

The place was full with tourist, as well as a few locals such as myself lugging around their DSLR, complete with monopods and flash. I only brought my macro lens. Maybe if I have some extra money in the next couple of months, I would buy myself an extension tube. That will make macro photography more fun!

Central Market Revisited

After our lunch at Renaissance, Anita was keen to head for Central Market. She wanted to have a look for some titbits as gifts for Irfan's do next week. I was there a few times in the last couple of years, but for Anita, it was like discovering something new. The place has certainly transformed.

Compared to before, the place was certainly more tourist-friendly, bordering on being tourist-centric. Gone were the artists who plied their trade here painting portraits of whoever fancied themselves to have their sketches done. Gone were the street musicians and buskers. The street next to the market was now being renovated, and some of the shops were temporarily closed. The while pavements were being replaced and new covering - ala Petaling Street were being installed. I bet it would look even more unfamiliar once those were done. But the place has certainly suffered from lost of identity, and it would take a few more years for the place to develop its own character.

The entrance to the Kasturi Walk, parallel to the market

What was striking was the place was a lot cleaner. Even the toilets were very clean, although you would have to part with 50 sens to enter. The main tourist area were divided into themed streets. The vendors along those streets adhered to them, with memorabilia from Malay, Chinese, Indian and Orang Asli handicrafts.

Since the place was packed, we parked next door at Dayabumi Complex and took the bridge across. Anita was really excited with what she saw, so much so that she did not buy anything in the end. She would plan another visit in the next few days once she had an idea of what she wanted to get.