Bangsar Village Decor

Just returned from Bangsar Village and I was pleasantly surprised at how much the place was transformed in within a week. Both the Raya stalls - amongst the most expensive in KL, so enter at your peril - and the Raya decor were up.

I was rather confused with the overall theme there though, as it was more of a mash-up of colours rather than a coherent one. Or maybe I was just analyzing too much. After entering a couple of the stalls, I came up with the conclusion in the first paragraph. Things there were just damn expensive! A pair of sarongs for RM1700! Righto! I'll give that a miss.

Trying to figure out if those were snoflakes I think it wasCloser look at the stallsThe current trend seemed to be square boxesThe usual stuffings - cookies

The gift idea this time around was also not as creative as in previous years. They were pretty simple, and I noticed that the trend now is to give a hamper containing biscuits and drinks, rather than dates. Hmmm! Usually the trendier place would be Bangsar Shopping Center down the road. Maybe I'll give it a visit in the next few days.

Congratulations All Around

My Boss for the last seven years had just been made a full Professor. She took me and the rest of the crew out for lunch earlier today. The initial plan was to go to delicious, but judging from how they messed up our orders the last time we went over for lunch, we decided to give it a miss. After much deliberation we decided to go for Madam Kwan in Telawi. Fearing the place would be packed, we booked the table beforehand.

All was done .... burp!
We reached there in good time. All my previous tutors were present, which was nice. We caught up with news as some of them had retired. It was quite a long affair and it was way past 3 pm when we reached the ward. Then, the work piled in .......

Catching up with an old friend

It has been a while but I bumped into an old friend @Elviza at Starbucks in Bangsar earlier today. It must have been a couple of years since my wife bumped into her, and we stopped to chat for quite a bit.

The boys got up early following an early night last night. I managed to wake up at 5 am to catch the second half of United's match against Stoke. After getting the boys settled down, we went for breakfast at La Bodega in Bangsar. More about that in my later post.

On the way back to Bangsar Village, we bumped into @Elviza. She was trying to stop smoking, and we had a long chat about that. Apparently she had a friend who recently passed away due to a suspected heart attack at the age of 36. That clearly shook her. She managed to go cold turkey a couple of times before but picked up the habit due to friends. My feeling was, it was all down to determination and how badly she wanted to quit. She should take a lesson from her friend's teeny passing to motivate her.

I was actually back at Sri Utama waiting for Puan Anita. She dripped by to see how Idlan was coping for lunch. I think she was worries for nothing, but hey, I'm only the Dad.

New Croc

The new Croc - same with Irfan'sMy trusty old red Disney Croc has served me well. I bought it almost three years now, and had been wearing them almost daily. The soles were all worn out as you can see from the picks, but the hinge on the cover was still perfect. Excellent pair of shoes, comfortable and tough. Among the best RM150 I ever spent. So it was time to part again from another RM150 for a new pair. Since I have some vouchers from buying my father’s pair from last week, I might as well buy them.

Look at the old one - sole completely worn out. Accident waiting to happen!Last weekend, I went to a branch of Croc retailers at IKANO and was really disappointed by the service - the staff kept ignoring myself and Puan Anita for a bunch of old fat expatriate with bimbo young Malaysian girlfriends. We finally given up when it turned out that they did not have the particular model that I wanted. Well, they might do but couldn’t be bothered to find them for me. The sad thing was, my Dad wanted a pair, and I bought it for him, and still the service did not improve. At least they were consistent. Treat Malaysian badly! Gave a piece of my mind at the check-out and the boy was startled that I expressed my feelings bluntly - plus a quick email to the branch manager the next day, who ‘promised to look into the matter and will always strive to provide the best service to all their our customers’. Bull!

The branch I visited this time was in Bangsar Village, and the service was miles better. Apparently it was run by a different franchise. The selection was a lot better despite smaller shop foot print. One query and the salesperson found the pair I wanted straight away. Sold! Better still, seeing how well they treated me, Puan Anita bought another pair for her and Irfan. Now, that’s how you do business! You be nice to your customers even if they are Malaysian, because they may have purchasing power as well!

So , I am now a proud owner of a new pair of Croc. So did Irfan and Puan Anita. We got a matching pairs for me and Irfan as well! He has been running around with them so far. As for my old pair ….. I think I should just keep in the cupboard. Yes, it can be slippery to wear at times, but it was still wearable. Maybe I’ll keep it for going to the beach at Port Dickson, and leave them at the apartment.

Just to prove that we really go way back;

In Cherating, December 2008

In Sungai Petani, May 2009

Shopping at Mid Valley

Doing what it does best, by the beach in Port Dickson

Fit For 2 Revisited

After finishing the basic syllabus at Pingu's English, we sent Irfan for weekend reading sessions for an hour every Saturday lunchtime. It was his idea. He loved the place so much. The reading sessions were practically a drop-in session. We usually use the time to do a bit of groceries or window shopping. Last Saturday, we took the time to have a walk at Bangsar Village. The place was certainly festive. Puan Anita had sore throat, so she did not feel like having lunch. After a quick bite, Idlan wanted to go for a run at the indoor playground over at Bangsar Village II. They had energy to burn, so I thought why not.

The initial lunch at Nando'sThe bridge linking Bangsar Village and Village IIFrom which you can see both the Smokehouse Restaurant and Pingu's English at TelawiWhile there, I found my colleague, Ida and Alex having lunch at Fit For 2, right opposite the playground, with their kids. I was already full by then. The boys spent a good couple of hours running around. When they were done, Anita decided to have a some tea at Fit For 2.

The cozy interior of Fit For 2The indoor playground where the kids burnt their excess sugar across the corridor from the diner The yummy roti jala and curryWe visited there a few months ago, and the place has not lost its charm. It was cozy and warm. Most importantly, the menu is kid-friendly and wholesome! Anita had some root gala and the curry was gorgeous. The boys had some hot chocolate - with marshmallows of course and mini-pizzas. There was a yoga class going on in a studio next to the diner. In a small corner, there was a small play area for babies - my boys were too grown-up for the toys there - and a comfy sofa. There were magazines to browse and leaflets to read. Definitely for mummies!

After the delightful tea, we left for home. Puan Anita's flu got the better of her and she retired early that night. I did as well but woke up later to watch the football. Yes, United got beat by Villa! We got what we deserved!