Christmas in Cheras

I did not wake up bright and early on Christmas morning. Just as I hit the send button on What's App asking my sister whether the kids had woken up, I heard a commotion downstairs. No mistaking it-- it was The Tribe. My sister had moved all the presents to my place. And it was a lot of presents. Combined with presents from SK and I, it was truly a formidable heap! The excitement and anticipation from the kids was palpable. However, they had to wait a little while longer. All of us donned our customized Christmas T-shirts and took a group photo first. Before we began, I brought out a laundry basket to contain all the discarded gift wrapping. The kids went through their presents like locusts. They got toys, shoes, clothes, bags, and water tumblers. Guess they were on Santa's Good list else they would have received white envelopes filled with cash from Sump'n Claus.



Got some pretty nice stuff for Christmas this year:
1. Black Herschel laptop bag from The Tribe.
2. Lego Technic Drag Racer from KH.
3. Akemi bed sheet from mum.
4. Key hook from SK.



Never actually played with Lego Technic before, so it was nice of KH to get me a set. Once we cleared all the debris, it was time to go out for breakfast. BIL wanted to go to a cafe that was Christmas-y. Unfortunately, most of the cafes in Sri Petaling only opened at 11:00 AM. In the end, our stomachs decided that we eat at Poppo Kanteen, a cafe famed for its nasi lemak. If you're not into that, they have noodles and bread too. Plenty of variety and value for money. A suprising MYR8.90 for a big plate with a whole fried chicken leg. Their sambal is pretty good, but the rice didn't quite make the cut.



Right on their doorstep is another nasi lemak stall. That stall has been around for years and the rice is really good. Very savoury and creamy. Much better than Poppo Kanteen, but their sambal falls short. What we did was combine the best of both worlds. Haha. The staff didn't mind. Another thing I liked about Poppo Kanteen was the cham. Great taste and hot! Don't ever give me that lukewarm shit. A drink that makes you go "Ahhhhhh...." after every sip. Big Monster had a very good appetite. He walloped a plate of nasi lemak, roti Planta, and potato wedges!



In the afternoon, we made a visit to Sunway Velocity Mall, one of KL's newest retail spots. Boy, what a mistake that was. The roads were choked and the mall was overflowing with people. Been a long time since I saw such good business at a mall. The escalators were packed and groups of people were seen just standing around. Crazy. Every ten minutes, there would be a public paging for lost kids and disoriented adults. But this took the cake:

"Dear shoppers, please be advised that there is a traffic jam on Jalan Cheras and Jalan Peel. We advise you to continue shopping. Thank you."





The Tribe watched "Moana" there at 4:00 PM, but mum and I had some time to kill before our movie. We did some shopping and had a late lunch / early dinner at Canton Kitchen. Not recommended at all. Lethargic service and lousy portions. They charge prices similar to Foong Lye for their set meals but what you get is a far cry. Lukewarm food with just a whole lot of Chinese cabbage in different forms. The only thing I liked was the Pumpkin Springroll.



With an hour to go before our movie at Leisure Mall, I fired up the Uber app. Got a ride on a brand new HRV. The driver remarked that traffic was fine before the opening of the mall. Oh well. The ride to Leisure Mall took less than fifteen minutes. Believe it or not, it was my first time at this iconic Cheras mall. Looks pretty good for a neighbourhood mall. Pretty impressive Christmas decorations. Gave me some Singapore heartland mall vibes.



We watched "Show Me Your Love", a local production with a cast fortified by Hong Kong actors. I expected more tears from the movie, but it fell a bit short. Overall a nice movie with funny and touching moments. The cinema hall was also surprisingly comfortable. Perhaps they had changed the seats in recent years. Got out of the cinema just in time for The Tribe to pick us up. Truly a fun Christmas spent with loved ones.