Xmas at 1Utama

The last time I went to 1Utama must have been during the Merdeka Day when they had some decor up for the Hari Raya celebration. Fast forward four months, and we were nearing Christmas. Puan Anita wanted to buy some car accessory for our minivan, planning for the weekend trip to Kuala Kangsar - she wanted to buy a bin I think - so we went to Jusco there for a quick look. There was not much in the once-fully stocked home furnishing center at the old wing there. Rather disappointing, but Anita got her bin as she wanted it. However, the Xmas decor was already up, and oh boy, weren’t they amazing.

The main foyer at the New Wing was transform into what appeared to be a skating rink. Not sure if there will be show there though.The Xmas trees here came in all shapes and sizesChocolates ........The main courtyard was transformed into what looks like a winter wonderland, complete with pebbles on the walkway. The central area was empty at the moment, but I think, they were planning to put up a skating rink judging from the flooring. The shops were up and fully made up as you can see from the pics, complete with fake snow. What interesting was the candies on offer were all imported, reminding us of Xmas in the UK. Marks & Spencer booth on the old wing also offered some authentic English condiments, such as Christmas pudding - non-halal of course, topped up with brandy sauce. The boys got some Twix bars and other chocolate.

More shops at the Old WingOrnaments ....They deserved a breather ..... There were shops selling Christmas decorations to those who will be celebrating. The ornaments looked authentic, especially the small Santa snow grottos they have with tiny little shepherd dolls and sheep. I think I will give the place another visit in a couple of weeks when the full decor would be up. Parking has always been a bane for visitors at 1Utama, and we spent a good 20 minutes trying to find a bay yesterday. The fact that we were driving a minivan did not help. We used to park at the OneWorld hotel, a building right next to the old wing, but it was also full yesterday. So, if you are visiting, be prepared to come extra early, or else you will probably be parking outside. Public transport was not an option for us unfortunately as the shopping mall was well out of any of our usual routes.

Xmas at The Curve

 I spent most of the day today in bed. Since yesterday evening I had been troubled by sore throat, I knew something was brewing. I went to bed pretty early but was woken up by cough and shivering. Paracetamol helped but the sore throat continued until the morning. By breakfast I was not able to swallow anything, so I was not able to go to Kelang today. Instead I spent the whole day doing some slides, getting through some paperwork, and generally just taking it easy.

Complete with carol By the afternoon the fever subsided. I was able to walk around a bit. The boys has been rather restless today, and by early evening they insisted on me taking them out for a drive. Since I hardly have eaten anything, Anita was keen to take me out for dinner. I wanted to have some soup and finally relented. We headed out to The Curve. For the boys, The Curve equals Marche.

 For the Christmas period, the main foyer of the curve has been transformed into a winter wonderland. The transformation was pretty drastic to be quite honest. There was  Christmas Carol singing as well as the oblogatory Santa’s Grotto. Unfortunately there were no Santarina. They were stalls selling ornaments and cookies. After a few snaps, we decided to head for dinner. I wasn’t in much of a mood to walk around anyway. I had some pizza and mushroom soup. The Swiss mocha was nice and it did wonders for my palate. The boys enjoyed the time there especially with the very nice indoor decor and lighting they had in the restaurant. I felt a bit better after dinner, so we decided to have a nice evening walk. Few more snaps, and I felt that I needed more paracetamol. Time to head home.

A more subdued IKANO Power CenterTopped off by Puan Anita buying a couple of umbrellas  

I wish that I had a bit more time to walk around enjoying the decorations. Unfortunately with the flu and sore throat that was just not possible. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it that much. Anyway as you can see I managed to get a few nice photographs to share and I bet it was going to be jam-packed during the weekend with all the Christmas shoppers showing up. While at Marche, we also booked them up for a gingerbread-making session some time during the last week before Christmas. I think this session will be on a Wednesday afternoon and we booked both Idlan and Irfan to join up. Something to look forward to.

More Pavilion Christmas

It has long become customary for us to venture out on the the evenings on the eve of holidays. Yesterday evening was no exception although Irfan decided to stay at home. He went out for lunch with Anita and the family, so he was a bit tired. Idlan came with us. We went to Pavilion for dinner. The initial plan was to catch a movie, but nothing really caught our fancy. Instead, we explored the much touted Christmas decor up there. It has been up for the last couple of weeks. In fact I ventured there once and took some pictures, although the complete repertoire were not erected yet.

Look at the curtains. I wouldn't mind one!There were mainly a couple of places worth visiting there. Let’s start with the main foyer. It was transformed into raws of small stalls, themed around Christmas. Rather going for the winter grotto look a la 1Utama - which I will blog later - they went for a more green outlook with tall Christmas trees, adorned with ornaments and lights. The stalls were nothing special compared to the ones in 1Utama, but the spirit was there. The main stage was still quite empty. Apparently, in the coming weeks, there will be a small grotto, with Santa making an appearance.

The second place to head to would be the Bukit Bintang entrance. It was filled with fake snow and there were Christmas trees, complete with icicles. The main fountain was also decorated with Christmas themes. Since we were early, we missed what was supposed to be ‘snowfall’ at 8 pm. We didn’t stay for too long as Irfan was at home, but the decors themselves were worth a visit. I should’ve taken a video of the place to be honest.

Pavilion Today

After work yesterday, with the planned weekend away to Johor Bharu, I needed to bank in some cheque and also pay my credit card bills. The most convenient UOB branch for me is the one in Bukit Bintang. Usually I do the banking thing during weekend, with a stroll around Low Yat and Sungai Wang, but since that was not an option, I went there after work instead, plus the boys and Puan Anita. We parked at Pavilion, and Puan Anita just hang around there rather than following me around across the road. I noticed then that the Christmas decor was already up at the shopping mall, giving me an early glimpse of what will be on offer there.

It looked like the theme this year will be snow by the fountain. They clearly cleared up the main entrance and the place was done up really nicely. There were fake snows and Xmas trees, both inside and outside the door. There was also a list of upcoming activities, coinciding with the shopping season and school holidays. I can imagine the place being packed to the seems come this weekend and the weekend leading up to Xmas.

I am sure when all the decor were up, it will be quite a spectacle. I can’t wait for the Curve and Mid Valley-Gardens to come up with their offerings. Looking forward to all that.