Idlan is Nine

Idlan is Nine today but Daddy had to be on call. Although the grand plan was to spend the long weekend at the apartment and basically chill out. I took Idlan out for dinner last night, asking him where would he like to go. Of course the answer was pretty straightforward.

We left after Maghrib and as soon as the roast beef arrived, the boys duly devoured them quite literally.

So, my baby boy is now nine but for the both of us, he's still our baby. In actually fact, he is more manja than Irfan. Still couldn't go to sleep without us around.

Happy Birthday Idlan. Sorry that Daddy couldn't be there when the cake arrived later. Daddy got to earn a living :)

Irfan Was Seven

Being on call during the long Chinese New Year break as one thing, but being on call on my son's birthday was quite another. Irfan turned 7 yesterday, and although we planned to have a quite dinner together, but finding out that I was on call, my parents-in-law took the boys and Anita out for lunch.

After finding out about the plan, I devices one of my own. I finished my clinic on time, sorted out what needed to be finished in the ward and headed out into town to surprise them. I arrived at the restaurant about five minutes after they did. And was quickly spotted by Idlan.

Next came Irfan's surprise present. Can't tell you what that was ......

Breakfast at Harrod's

My brother-in-law just left for Turkmenistan again on Sunday morning, the day before Ramadhan started. It was not a disaster though as he should be back for Hari Raya, but it was sad nome the less. Therefore on Saturday morning, he took us and her parents put for breakfast. But this was not any ordinary breakfast. It was over at KLCC, at Harrod's.

I did not know that Harrod's do breakfast until I was told last week. They ha limited menu though - 7 items on my count between 10 to 11, and an even more limited selection between 8.30 to 10, mainly catering for Peteonas executives coming for power breakfast during weekdays.

My boys were grumpy, firstly since they were forced to get up and was hauled into the van - they were still on holidays. But, woke up they dis and try were initially in a merry mood in the van. But that would soon change after they learn that their usual order at Harrod's were missing. They loved their roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and fruit punch there. But at 10 in the morning, those were off the menu. And they were proper grumpy especially Idlan pulling a strop! That did not stop the rest of us though.

The grumpy boys grudgingly went up the escalatorsIdlan in a stropFinally agreed to play ball

So, what were the 7 items? Nope, no nasi lemak or roti canai. We had omelet, croissant, poached salmon and of course hot baguette. The usual British breakfast with sausages and eggs of course. Not to mention the glorious morning tea and coffee. The limited item meant that service was swift and as usual, the waitresses were very accommodating, especially with my boys in a strop.

The food was good, but personally, I prefer La Bodega, partly with it wider selection and lower prices, but also dare I say it, better food offering. The egg Benedict at La Bodega was bordering on "to die for", especially with a strip of smoked salmon on top. Here, even the omelet was surprisingly dry and bland. It was too British I supposed. The most disappointing was the sautéed mushroom. They could have done a lot better.

Some toast to start things offAnita's choiceMine was the omeletFinally content with his English Breakfast TeaThey were also offering special Ramadhan buffet - roast beef on Wednesdays ....

To be honest, I probably give the breakfast here a miss in the future. I definitely prefer the roti canai near my house, of should I feel adventurous, either La Bodega or Delicious. But for lunch and dinner, I would definitely return.

Dinner for Idlan

Believe it or not, the above snap was taken using an iPhone 4. Shows what an awesome camera it carries.

Yes, as I tweeted, we had dinner at Harrods at KLCC with my in-laws to celebrate Idlan's exam results. Sufficed to say, he did OK and Anita was really proud. They also served Irfan's favourite drink, the Fruit Punch Mocktail. And to be honest, the drink was gorgeous.

As usual, the boys had their roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. I had some sandwiches. We had a good time and more importantly, we set out early and was back home to catch the football. It just ended and United had opened a nine points lead after beating Everton. Well done Hernandes.

Birthday Celebration

Yeah! 38 today! Should be grateful with everything Allah gave me, family, stability and health. This year, with my colleague returning from Ireland, I have decided to take some time off work, to celebrate the birthday and also the World Cup Finals. It happened to be my father-in-law’s 75th as well on the same day - quick tip, one sure way of getting a father’s blessing in marrying his daughter is to have the same birthday. It was also a sure way to make sure your wife remember your birthday and for the kids to get really confused and started asking - “who’s birthday is it really? Dad or Granddad?”. Worked for me like a charm!

Irfan didn't think much of itWhile Idlan busy smearing his bread ..... la di daIt was a bright start for the day. Gorgeous weather. I had the duty of being a chairman of a session for the Malaysian Society of Transplantation in Subang in the late morning. So I had lunch with a few friends there. Had to rush back since Puan Anita had a date with on Edward Cullen - don’t really know who the hell he is, heard that he is dead ugly! - at  the cinemas. So I was on babysitting duty. The highlight of the day will be dinner at Harrods. We booked a table for eight with one of our auntie coming along. Since we booked for dinner at 6.30, there were hardly any other patron at the restaurant, which was sensible since the boys were in their elements, running around and all.

I went for asparagus as starterEverybody had the beef and Yorkshire pudWhile I had some codCheers eveyoneEverybody ordered beef and Yorkshire Pudding - sigh! I went for the cod instead! Even Idlan finished a couple of slices of the roast. Fat boy! We enjoyed some cakes and pudding afterwards. Thank you Puan Anita for organising the dinner for me and Dad. After all the medical scars he gone through earlier in the year, having to be admitted twice into UMMC, there were course for celebration. It’s a shame that my other two brother-in-laws can't join us. One was abroad, and another had a prior engagement.

A slice of birthday cake to finish things offBread and butter puddingBurp!However the celebration has not finished yet. We were planning to travel for seafood lunch today on Sunday to Kuala Selangor. More food ahoy! I was also eternally grateful for all the facebook messages, tweets and emails I received to wish me a Happy Birthday. Really appreciated them.