Saturday Outing

Idlan wanted to try some sports at school. He had started playing badminton, and a few of his friends wanted to play football and basketball later in the week. He was clearly into it and wanted me to get me a football.

So, off we went for a bit of shopping. He ended up getting himself the balls and a brand new sneakers. And the afternoon was topped off with a spot of hot chocolate at his favourite cafe. Unfortunately no practice for today as it was raining heavily by early evening.

Pavilion Again

Idlan has his Quran class today, so I returned to Gombak for Iftar today to join the rest of the family. As I was on call yesterday and due to lack of sleep, I ended up sleeping in front of the TV as soon as I reached home. I was woken up in time for Maghrib, and groggily I went upstairs for food. It was one of those meal where you couldn't remember exactly what you've eaten. I was better after the shower.

So, on the way back to the apartment, we decided to take a tour to Pavilion as I had to settle my credit card bills. Peckish since I hardly eaten during iftar, I gobbled down some sandwich, and then with the boys had a nightcap at Godiva. Nice rich, fattening chocolate!

More topping upAfter the meal, Anita did some shopping, and I was left with my camera to explore the Raya decorations around Pavilion. The theme was not very clear, but the had plenty of way - traditional Malay kite - hanging around. Plenty of stalls around the main foyer, selling cookies mainly, but nothing much else to talk about.

The main foyer seemed to have been taken over by wauA big one hanging from the ceiling

The area around Bukit Bintang and the fountain was still buzzing at that hour. There were plenty of foreigners, quite sizeable from the Middle East. And the traffic was still packed even close to 10 pm.

Nightcap at Godiva

Stopping over for a nightcap at Godiva was always going to be a bad idea. First of all, everything there was expensive. And secondly, the offerings there were so yummy and rich, I was feeling really sleepy when it was time to head home. The hot chocolate there was so potent.

The boys, as usual had a field day pointing towards the chocolates in the display cabinet. Idlan would always ask if those chocolates contain alcohol. They picked three pieces each before we settled for the drinks. Anita and I ordered a piece of cake each. I chose the Godiva chocolate cheesecake. Yummy!

The eyes certainly lit upThe cake was layered with a chocolate biscuit base at the bottom with a thick layer of chocolate flavoured cheese. On top, there was a layer of pure chocolate, with a piece of the celebrated Godiva chocolate to cap things off. There was also a smear of strawberry and mango purée with some chocolate sauce. Needless to say that the piece was rich and by the time I was halfway done, I just had to slow down. The purée was concentrated and tangy, adding a zing to contrast the bitterness of the dark chocolate.

Anita's portion.... and now for the hot chocolateThe hot chocolate drinks were ace as usual. I was sleepy well before we left the cafe. The effect did not last long though as I was rather hungry during the drive home and had to stop for some KFC to take home.

The Godiva outlet we frequent was the one in Pavilion, located on the second floor.

Early Christmas at Pavilion

It is always a pain having to wake up early on a Sunday morning, to have to drive to do ward round. It's not really a complaint as I love what I do. But it is always difficult when the alternative is a lie-in with the wife and the boys. Well, somebody has to do it. So I got to the ward relatively quickly for a weekend round as I know it was going to be an awful morning with my patients scattered all around the hospital. I managed to finish everything and got home just before one. After lunch, the boys were getting bored. They again wanted to go out, and Anita was craving for hot chocolates. So we headed for Pavilion.

Pavilion is fast becoming a hit for festive decor around KL although their Hari Raya effort was rather poor compared to KLCC and Mid Valley this year. But six weeks out, they started early for Xmas. There were Xmas trees 4 floors high with all the trimmings and fake snow. Santa sledge galore and of course the grotto, although it was too early for Santa himself to turn up yet.

First order of business was Godiva. Sip of warm chocolate and of course enough chocolates to send Idlan and Irfan into orbit. They were totally hyper! We then headed for the main foyer where they had space to run around. The central foyer is a large round enclosure with a couple of coffee shops round the side. The middle have a small platform where I am sure the shows will be staged nearer to Xmas. It was surrounded by four tall Xmas tree. Littered around are small stalls selling decors, candies, stocking fillers and the likes. The one that Anita stopped at was a stall of L'Occitane perfumes and toiletries.

Being a Moslem, I personally don't celebrate Xmas as a religious festival. But after living in the UK for years, Xmas has become a part of my calendar. I know it was the time to cover for my colleagues who were celebrating. It was also synonymous with the famous Boxing Day sales! Surprisingly, I noticed a few other fellow Moslems, some of them in Hijab also getting excited and taking pictures with the sledges and grottos. As long as the religious ulama don't go all intifada on us, I think we will be fine.

After half an hour of browsing, I noticed that Irfan was getting tired. He was sleepy from all the chocolate and pampering. Within 5 minutes of getting into the car and driving home, the three of them, Anita included were already fast asleep.

They were all spent by the time they reached home

Adventure Saturday - Part 2

Irfan's venture at picture taking, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman. That's my hand that is still hurting after badminton tonight! I'm old!

After we were done with Sg Kanching, everyone felt peckish, especially yours truly. Since I have to go settle my credit card bill, we decided to head for Bukit Bintang. We reached Pavillion about 30 minutes after we left Sg Kanching.

Idlan enjoying his fried riceWhile Irfan couldn't care less ... he prefers golf instead!Idlan wanted his fix for MSG, so we had some sushi while the kids have their tappenyaki fried rice and miso. I then left for Bukit Bintang while Anita and the kids went shopping in Pavillion. I then realised that there is a new fountain built outside the main entrance towards Sg Wang. Boy, there were teenagers around congregating there, punks, goth and all. Identity crisis I thought! Kudo told me that I sounded like an old fart making comments like those on twitter. So I better shut up!

The new fountain outside PavillionWhen I returned, they were just about to take their seat at Godiva cafe. I ordered a hot black chocolate, and it was heavenly. It cost me RM16 for a pot, and it pours for 3+ cups. It was a bargain! I sipped every last drop. Idlan wanted some chocolates, and the waitress duly showed him around. It then dawned on me that a small piece of chocolate will set me back RM9.50 plus tax! Idlan happily picked 4! Argh!!!! But what my baby wants, my baby gets!

Chocoloate served on a platter .... Yummy!It was served on a plate, and Idlan just gulped them in one go and asked for more! We settled in the end for a box of chocolates for him to take home. Won't tell you how much that cost. He finished them all last night!

Today is Monday, back to work. A lot of things needed catching up,and I am due to give a lecture tomorrow morning. Anita was complaining that I a growing fat. So I decided to head out for the badminton session with my ex-Terendak boys. It was a mistake. My fingers flared up again and it is hurting even now. If it is still giving me grief in the next few days, I think I better get it checked out.