Short-lived Outing

After leaving the short movie early to get the boys to the park, I was disappointed that it started to rain. Well, didn't really mind the rain, but it was the thunder that we were scared off. So, after only five minutes running around the park, we had to leave. Not even time for a quick ice cream. Sigh!

Lake Perdana Park was full, so we turned to the Tugu area instead. It was practically empty, but with no playground. We should've gone there with a ball or a bat instead. So, that would be the plan for next time.

Christmas Eve

It was a actually a great day out for us for Xmas Eve. After work, I took everybody out to Bangsar Village, where we had lunch and did some shopping. And shopping we did. I got myself a few shirts as well as hanging around with the boys while Anita tried out some clothes.

My boys went berserk on these Lego. Luckily they were tucked away behind a glass shield.A mountain of Ninja-go!The Dude and the Duchess. Our new favourite clothing shop!Very trendy clothes they areTime to murder some ice creamIdlan doing the murdering. With a bib of course!The messy aftermathAfter a stop for ice-cream, and then we went to the park. Ran around, for close to an hour before heading for an early dinner. We were lucky since the the place we went to - Delicious at Dua Residences - were filled to the brim by the time we left. There were Christmas Eve dinner as well as parties going on at the venue. And the food was great. I decided against roast chicken however, and had some steak instead.

Time for Christmas Eve dinner!TIDAK HALAL!By the time we reached home, everyone was tired. I was asleep at the sofa well before 10 pm and the boys had to wake me up to get back to the bedroom.

It was a full day indeed!

I-City, I-like

My flickr friends have been advocating a visit to I-City for quite some time. A couple of years ago, a group of them went, but unfortunately, I had a prior engagement at the time and had to give it a miss. A couple of days ago, I came across a photo of the place and showed it to Anita, and she and the boys went all excited. So, came the weekend, we asked if my sister, Julia, wanted to take here family along, and she agreed. So, off we went last Saturday evening, all packed into my minivan.

As it was right in the middle of the school holidays, the place was really packed. We decided to go there early, got our parking ticket, but was told by the attendant that food inside the area was rather expensive. W then decided to turn back and went for dinner at Sekinchan Ikan Bakar. What. Should have done was got ourselves the best parking spot, visit one of the many restaurants in the compound, waiting for the sunset.

But once we arrived late and got settled in, we were mesmerised by the symphony of light on offer. The children were in awe of what on offer, Irfan of course had my LX-3 on the ready and started snapping away as well as posing for photos. The venue was huge, and with the children on tow, it was not possible to visit the whole park that evening. By the time we orientat ourselves, the place was already jam packed with visitors. We decided to just stay at one general area and enjoy the lights. In the end, we spend more than an hour, until the children were tired. Irfan was excited with the camera and did not want go home.

The photos I had on this blog did not do justice however with what on show. The were also welding going on all around as a monorail system was being installeed around the park. That would be a nice way to travel around the venue, while enjoying the lights at a different vantage points. There was also a giant screen - it was showing Star Sports that evening for people to congregate at. Parking was situated all around the park, with the attraction being smack in the middle. The central area was also lined up with shops and restaurant - there was a KFC joint there as well as 7-Eleven. we did not have the chance to venture to a small staging area as well as a cold tent - apparently with snow. Maybe we give that a go on another day.

The evening we went out was one of those perfect storm for crowds. The weather have been hot and sunny all day, but was breezy at the same time, so the muggy evening was very bearable. Then, there was the two-weeks school holidays, and that evening sat right in the middle of that - a Saturday at that as well. We were expecting a big crowd to be quite honest.

All in all, it was a great night out for the family. Parking was aplenty, although rather disorganised - more on that later. There were plenty of area to venture into, and I suggest that rather than try to get through everywhere, you should just concentrate on one area - the big field in the middle of park would be a good bet. And the most important advice would be, do not come without a camera!

Slideshow and video from Bird Park stroll

The last time I visited the Bird Park was in January 09, exactly a year ago. I remember coming here with my two boys with Idlan freaking out after being chased by a couple of peacocks. The owl was a big hit for them. For fear of an asthma attack, Puan Anita wouldn't let me take them near the lover's bird cage.

For the past year, there have been a few improvements. The giftshop ladies were more friendly for a start. There was also a new koi pond and a fountain being built with benches which I can imagine being nice to sit on while reading a book. The weather was pretty nice when I got there. I paid my RM15 entrance fee and started shooting away. A nice walk, listening to my iPod and sitting by the koi pond, I managed to get through some letters and emails on my phone. I guess work just wouldn't leave me behind.

For those keen to visit the place, yes, the entrance prize was rather steep at RM15. Apparently they charged more for foreigners. If you think that was expensive, they charged RM4 for a bottle of mineral water! Since it was a workday, there were hardly anyone else. The park is opened from the morning until 7pm. By the time I left just after 6, there were insects and mosquitoes. If you don't like insects, repellents may be a good idea. Another thing I noted was, the number of lover's birds, the small colourful ones featured on the slideshow was smaller than last year. I remembered heaps of them circling around looking for feeds. There weren't that many anymore. The usual attractions, owls, hornbills  and hawks were still plentiful. I am sure there will be more people during weekends, so if you are planning on snapping, maybe a weekday is better.