In Wonderland

As planned, we drove out of the house just before 11 and reached Pavilion and settled in within half an hour. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was the boys first ever movie experience at the cinema and we were not sure how they would react. We were well prepared in our sweaters and socks as we imagined the will be freezing and we were not wrong. Luckily there were blankets.

Ordering drinks

As customary, we bought our drinks and popcorns. The boys wanted some nuggets as well. We quickly settled into our seats and tucked them in. They were surprised initially at how loud the sound system was but soon their apprehension turned to delight. Munching away on their food, they were totally immersed into the movie. In fact, they recognised the characters from reading the storybook. They clapped when Mad Hatter was introduced and booed when the Red Queen strolled in. They were making noise. Luckily it was in Golden Class and there were hardly any other punters. An hour in, the both of them were already out of their seats and chatting to each other, jumping around. It was havoc. If this were to happen in a packed cinema, I was sure we would have been led out by security. The two hours passed by so quickly and they were already planning to watch Shrek in the future.

All tucked inYes! We survived it!The movie itself was surprisingly very enjoyable. I initially was not very keen since I have been disappointed big time with Tim Burton’s fares in the past. One good thing about the movie was it never ever tried to give any back stories to the imaginary characters in Wonderland. It assumed that we knew the characters or at least knew enough as not to be asking too much about where they were from. Johnny Depp was spot on as the Hatter, so was Helena Bonham Carter. The CGI complemented the scenes very well although occasionally Burton’s choice of eclectic colours did come to the fore. The boys loved the fat twin and the invisible cat. Irfan left the theatre in the end trying to dance like the Hatter doing his closing number.

Irfan tucking into his sausages
Cookies for dessert In it goesThat's how the cookie crumblesAs we watched the first screening of the day, we were starving for lunch when the movie finished. We caught a bite at Dome before going home. Puan Anita and the boys were fast asleep half way back home. So much for excitement. I was looking forward to watch the badminton, Formula 1 and football later today.

Lunch at Yo! Sushi

What should I order?We went out to Pavilion earlier today since I thought we could all do with some retail therapy after what has been going on in the last week. I firstly went to visit Dad and did a quick visit to my transplant ward before having a nice 'daun pisang' lunch with Anita. It was not often that the two of us were left alone. Irfan called while we were eating and told us he wanted to have some fried rice at Yo! Sushi. Why not eh?

I can explain the miso and the MSG, but this drink? I wonder why the boys like it.True to form both Idlan and Irfan finished their portion of fried rice. Idlan wanted me to feed him using chopsticks. That took twice the time it should but he wanted to try. Looking at Idlan, Irfan also wanted likewise. The important thing was their appetite was good. We had a lot to be thankful for.

Both of them finished up an order each .... well done!By the fountain laterThen come the time for shopping. Puan Anita was looking for some dress as there were a couple of reunion events coming up soon. Irfan wanted a new light saber. He has already got the red (Darth Maul), blue (Obiwan Kenobe) and orange (some random Jedi character). Now he wanted Yoda's green. Puan Anita duly obliged. Spoilt!

Hopefully Dad will be home in the next couple of days. That will bring things back to normalcy somewhat. We have moved most of out stuffs back to Dad's place. I have yet however to move my iMac. I'll probably do it next weekend. In the meantime, I had to be content with my MacBook Pro.

Low Yat on Chinese New Year Day

Can this count as Valentine's Day gift?Yes, I was kinda free this afternoon and since I have some stuff I needed to get for my LiveScribe pen, I thought why not take a walk around Bukit Bintang and Pavilion and see what's cooking there. I got there late afternoon and started off with some sushi at Yo! Sushi. Then I was off!

Just about 50% of the shops were open at Sg Wang Bukit Bintang. The camera shops were open when I started making inquiries  about the EOS 7D. After about 20 minutes, I moved along to Low Yat. It was even worst there. Less than 30% of the shops were opened. The foyer was almost deserted. Even the Apple shop was closed. Unfortunately, the shop where I got my LiveScribe stuffs were also closed and I had to leave empty-handed.

On the way back, I noticed a lot of young Malay couple mingling along. I realized then it was Valentines Day. There was even a ma cir in tudung selling roses. This definitely went against the preaching on TV about Valentines being too Christian for 1Malaysia. Najib will have to turun padding to set this one straight I reckon, instead of all the eye sang he was tossing on TV. Well, my Valentine days were over. I got some perfume for Puan Anita yesterday with the kids with a card handwritten by Idlan. That put a smile on her face all day ….. 

Walkabout with my 400D

Idlan unfortunately developed temperature this morning. The initial plan was to go up the hill to Colmar Tropicale for a spot of sightseeing. We therefore spend the morning at home. I had the chance to watch the Grammies. Quite a glittering affair. Black Eyed Peas really rocked the house with 'I got a feeling'. The flop was definitely Taylor Swift. If she were to sing like that in front of Simon Cowell, she would've been booted out. Where was Kanye when you really needed him. I couldn't believe she won 'Album of the Year'!

The now legendary fake blossomI also woke up with a spot of glee. United comprehensively schooled the Arsenal at their backyard last night. An important win. We were now only a point behind Chelsea who will be traveling to Hull midweek to play their game in hand. I started Idlan on antibiotics and by late morning he was much better. But not after puking his breakfast out. After lunch, I decided to take my 400D out and head out to Bukit Bintang area to take pics. I also had to settle the credit card bill at a branch of UOB there - unfortunately the teller machine broke down, so I can't pay. I fully expect to hear from one of their telephone operator tomorrow to remind me to pay, during which I will remind them to fix their machine.

Heading towards Starbucks for some mochaThe main foyerI started off at the main entrance of Pavilion and around the fountain. The weather was very sunny and the lighting was rather tricky. The photos looked washed out and flat. I decided to head indoors. I soon got bored since I took some photograph of the interior already last week. I then made my way to Low Yat. It was pretty deserted for a weekday. The main foyer which used to be buzzing with vendors and stalls was empty. It was empty space. Something I was not used to. I walked around to look for photo printer since the current one I have was five years-old and the refills were hard to come by nowadays. The current prize for dedicated photo printers were already very cheap. Compared to the RM2500 I spend for my last printer, I can get an A4 printer for less than RM250 complete with ink-tank modification. That's important to cut maintenance down. The printers were to heavy to carry though as I park at Pavilion. Maybe next time.

By the time I came back to Pavilion, the lighting was better, and I started snapping away. I put up the slideshow here.

Day Out at Pavilion

The cherry blossom tree outside Pavilion.I had to do the morning round today and by the time I got back home, the boys were keen to go out again. They both spent the morning doing arts and crafts. The whole of my working table was smeared with paint. Luckily there were water-soluble. Cleaning up was not a problem. To be honest, I was not really that keen to go out since I went to bed pretty late after watching the football match. Yes! Rooney bagged four goals against Hull last night and at least for a few days, we were top of the league again .... the place where we were meant to be ..... sweet!

Swans everywhere!At the main entrance coming in from Bukit BintangCute fake waterlilliesThe main lobby was completely transformedIt's Pavilion today. Idlan wanted some miso. Yo! Sushi it was. The place was kinda crowded when we got there. We had to wait for a table, which got Idlan a bit worked up. After lunch, we explored the Chinese New Year decor at the main lobby. The lobby was rightly transformed. It was very nice indeed. However, the main attraction I must say was the fake cherry blossom tree lining the walkway outside the building. They were simply stunning. I was sure it will look even more gorgeous at night with the lighting and all. I must take Puan Anita out one of these nights, just the two of us.

Irfan exploring the flowersI have uploaded a slideshow of the outing here for you guys to have a look at.