Qurban

Unlike last year, Qurban and Aidil Adha this year was a low key one. We all stayed in KL. Even my parents didn't travel as my Mum's brother passed away last Ramadhan and her sister is in Mecca at the moment. My sister didn't go back to Melaka either.

The first day was a busy one for my parents as my Dad was in charge of the Qurban at his surau. Mum was also busy with cooking. I went to the surau with my boys although Idlan freaked out when he saw blood from the slaughter. That put the end of the visit.

It was almost done by the time we arrivedEvery last bitReady for distributionThe chopping boardWe went to visit my parents on the second day, having lunch there. We spent the rest of the Raya weekend at the apartment this time, more or less to ourselves.

The boys were occupied with homework, assignment and of course the PS4. I spent the weekend just doing some reading and watching TV. A lazy one actually.

My Dad was in charge of the distribution part

Idlan trying to convince everybody that it was time to go ....

They were back to school today, and I was busy with some reading in preparation for a visit by inspector at a firm I consult for. Although I technically had Tuesday off in between reading and paperwork.

Gurney Paragon Mall

On the way to Batu Feringghi, we drove past a new mall sat right next to Gurney Plaza. A bigger one, and on the wall, the Debenhams caught Anita's eyes.

After a quick snack at the hotel after the drive from Batu Feringghi, Anita decided to have a look at the mall - against Irfan's protest! Since both myself and Idlan also wanted to go, the majority won ....

Now, one of the common theme among the malls in Penang was the confusing car park lay out. And oh boy, this mall topped them all! The spacing were awkward and some of the slot were slanted on an angle, and to get in and out of the spot, you have to back into the main traffic flow! I guessed they didn't think about the car park area when they designed the malls.

Once we settled in - parked on the fifth floor none the less - Anita went straight to Debenhams. I went to another floor with the boys to check out the Tumi outlet. There was also Victoria's Secret, and Idlan's favourite, Godiva! Sugar rush!!

It was clear that the place still needed to be filled tenant-wise. Some of the spaces on the top floors - I counted eight floors - were either still empty or quiet. I could finished the shops in under an hour. They might struggle to hold onto those shops in the coming years I think. There were appreciably more people at Gurney Plaza compared to here, although it was obviously more upmarket.

More entries from this trip can be seen here.

Five in Two and a Half

I was done with a busy stretch. 5 calls in 18 days, akin to what I was doing as a houseman. Except that I still run my clinic, do my procedures as well as attending meetings and doing a lecture last weekend.

Now it was time for a rest. A couple of days away from the hospital for Aidil Adha to be spent at the apartment with Anita and the boys. The boys would have some homework to do no doubt, and I might have some time to look at some paperwork for next week where a firm I consulted for were having their credentialing assessment.

But for tonight, time to chill. To have a good night sleep, wake up early for prayers tomorrow morning before visiting my parents.

To all my colleagues, friends and relatives, Selamat Hari Raya and happy holidays.

Saying Goodbye

We got up very early for our breakfast. We were among the first to arrive there. Quick check out, followed by a short drive avoiding the traffic jam back to TH Hotel to say goodbye to my Aunt and Uncle. We were lucky that we managed to spend another hour with them before an announcement was made asking them to return to their rooms.

Again, the process was really straight forward, although it rained early that morning causing a bit of an issue with the open car park. The meeting area floors were also wet, but those were really minor gripes.

My Uncle had never flew in an airplane before - my Aunt visited me in Manchester before - so, he was rather apprehensive and nervous - especially with the couple of incidents earlier in the year affecting MAS. Once they were finally in - their flight would be later in the afternoon - we set off back to Sungai Petani to pick up one of my cousins who would be following us to KL.

I decided to take a quick nap before Friday Prayers, and finally we left for KL at around 4 pm, reaching KL just after 9. Tiring couple of days indeed, but well worth the effort ....

While driving back, I had switched Flightradar24 on, tracking their flight. It around 5pm that the flight took off, and by the time I went to bed that evening, it was just about entering Saudi Arabia airspace.

Overnight at Equatorial

Located right at the top of Bukit Jambul, I heard of the hotel before, but never actually stayed there. Looked like one of those classic 80s hotels, it was much classier than I thought. And a lot bigger.

The hotel had a unique design. It was four wings spreading from a central roofed hollow area creating an atrium feel, nine story high. My room was at the end of one of the winged corridor, a nice little suite which I shared with my Mum. My Dad was planned to come along but decided against traveling at the last minute since he had a cold. I ordered an extra bed, sleeping at the living area.

The inner layout of the hotel was pretty unit, with a central hollow design.Looking down onto the main lobbyI could see the second bridge from the room's balconyAll we did there was sleep and had shower, plus the breakfast the next morning. I did not have the chance to sample any of the facilities, or room services.

The room was nice and comfortable. It felt new, which I was sure due to a recent upgrade. It had a balcony, which was not cleaned. It had no seating - which I thought could have been made into a feature. It came with free broadband - which I did not bother to sample as the LTE signal was pretty good in the room.

The room with my extra bed at the living area

It had all the sports and movie channels, plus 24 hour room service should you need some food. The gym and pool was located on the ground floor, and the hotel had a total of seven restaurant, including the famous Kampachi Japanese restaurant.

The breakfast the next morning was not included for standard room, which was part of the reason that I went for the suite. It was a pretty standard fare. Could have been better.

Would definitely call in again should I need a room near the airport area. Otherwise, Eastern and Oriental would still be our favourite ....