will i am's delayed diary

Once in a while, we will venture to KL city centre for our Saturdates. Normally would need a pretty darn good reason to brave the traffic. Guess we were both stoked enough to check out Bon Odori at Lalaport. Encountered a good crowd on that day ( Lalaport is usually dead-ish ) because there was also a 3x3 basketball tournament going on at WoW Plaza which attracted Lala ( Lala boys at Lalaport, go figure ) boys from all over.   Made one round on the rooftop. A bunch of food stalls and carnival games. No points for guessing that we just concentrated on the non-halal beer section. There was a 'central' raised platform but the layout wasn't actually suitable for a crowd of people to dance around it. But anyway, Malaysian's are a shy lot, and won't usually take part with much gusto. Also bumped into VC who was on a Saturdate there as well.  Later that evening, we had a double date with T&P. Watched "Sakti" at PJPAC, a night for the arts. It's Hands Perc...

KH brings me to the most interesting cafes for our Saturdates. Shan Mu is one such place. The cafe is located in Cheras ( KH was in his Cheras phase ), and the shopfront is not obvious at all. No signboard, just a small wooded plaque beside a closed wooden door with the Chinese characters for "mountain" and "wood". Look out for a clump of bamboo trees out front. Mismatched furniture-- mostly timber and driftwood furniture. Drinks are unique, but some are misses. Whatever the case, do try their vanilla choux. This brings us to an interesting topic of our paktor routine. More often than not, KH would complain that he is stressed trying to figure out where to go every weekend. He claims that I cannot visit a place more than once. Paired with my demanding tastes, and pickiness, he has to crack his head regularly. Frankly, I am not THAT demanding, but since he puts it like, I now just play along. Bwahaha. At least I am guaranteed a constant stream of places to review o...

Some months back, we bought some early bird tickets to Van Gogh Alive at Pavilion Bukit Jalil. After Chap Goh Meh, we just tried our luck to walk-in, and luckily we managed to get in. The exhibition is basically a multimedia art installation of the life and works of Vincent Van Gogh. Through the use of high tech projectors, we were able to see how his art evolved over the years together with his mental state. There were also some physical exhibitions, like a mock up of his "Bedroom in Arles", and also a field of sunflowers which he was so fascinated with. Although it happened more than a year ago, but I still remember that I showed my black face to KH for being a lacklustre Instagram hubby. Hmmph! 

February 1st is Federal Territory Day, a holiday which commemorates the transfer of Kuala Lumpur to the control of the Federal Government. Prior to 1974, Kuala Lumpur was under the governance of the Selangor State Government. KH and I took the opportunity to paktor  at Petaling Street, the historic heart of Kuala Lumpur. Had no idea about lunch options, so we were lucky that the lady boss from Wu Li Tou Drunken Clam Noodles was very persuasive. The stir-fried noodles were quite flavourful with decent wok qi .  The restaurant was at Jalan Sultan, just a stone's throw away from REXKL, the old Rex Theatre. The theatre was rejuvenated into community and arts hub, and also houses a very Instagram-able BookXcess. The place has the feel of a bookstore maze. There's a food court on the ground floor, with some hipster cafes as well. Further down the road, we found a tong sui shop with some great options called Zhaoji Desserts . The ginger milk pudding comes with a mini hourglass to t...

Bear with me, this post is still on the topic of my 42nd birthday ( and my 43rd birthday ain't very far away lol ). Dearest KH planned a day out with me, just the two of us. He chose Lalaport BBCC because of the "teamLab: Resonating Microcosms:" art installation. Lalaport busier than usual that day because people were lining up to purchase Westlife concert tickets. The line started all the way in the middle of the mall right out to WoW Plaze where some were under the sun. Thought that concert ticketing is fully online these days. Wonder if it helps to deter scalpers. Funny thing was, the people who were queuing looked way too young for Westlife. Curious.  Before lunch, we headed up to the rooftop get sunburned. The recommended timing for the teamLab thing-y is in the evening, but we weren't particular about it. In the sun, it's a practically a field of shiny chrome Weebles that trigger sounds when you rock them. But I was also reminded of a field of metallic Xenom...

The next morning, we freshened up and headed down for the buffet breakfast. Bumped into the same posse of geilous from yesterday. Once we had our fill, we walked over to the KTM building to admire its neo-Mughal architecture and do some cam-whoring. With nothing much left to do, we packed up, and checked out. Heard good things about Bray , so we gave it a try. Located at the quiet Menara See Hoy Chan, it would seem that they subsist on business from the developer's corporate office staff. The Seafood Stew with Saffron was pretty good (the pesto pairing a bit bizarre), but the ten sen face from the cashier really spoiled our appetite. Not impressed with the expensive almond hazelnut croissant. Unlikely that we would be making a repeat visit.  Waffles was next on our list, so we went looking for If Only . The location was a bit weird, so we had to double back a bit before we successfully found it. Our server was really friendly and she commented that KH and I looked like twins. That...

Both KH and I were looking forward to our first overseas trip in a long time. We didn't brave that hellish passport renewal queue at Jalan Duta for nothing. Our tickets to Danang were for the 27th of September. Packed my bags, and ordered my Grab. But it was not to be. Super Typhoon Karding left the Philippines and made its way across the South China Sea, turning into Typhoon Noru. Noru was slated to make landfall at Danang on the 27th, on the same day of our scheduled arrival. Of course, the airport was closed, and all flights cancelled, and our travel plans were blown away by a strong gust of wind. My Grab driver was already halfway to my house when I called him to cancel. He was nice enough not to charge me a single sen. Dragged my luggage back upstairs with a hint of dejection. However, all was not lost. The ever resourceful KH immediately arranged a staycation. Packed my overnight bag, and headed to KL with KH, dressed in my short shorts and rainbow socks. Parked at Lot 10, a...

For the first time ever, a Merdeka mass was celebrated at St. Ignatius Church. Parishioners were encouraged to dress up in traditional costumes. Mum dug out her baju kurung , while I went with a red top I bought for CNY. The East Malaysian parishioners were the most impressive. The church was decorated with the Jalur Gemilang , and mini flags were distributed to everyone ( surprisingly provided by the town council ). Before mass began, there was flag raising ceremony with everyone singing the national anthem.   Was supposed to have a double date with Terrance and Phillip at Palilos , but Phillip caught a stomach bug, and FFK-ed us. Already our second time there, don't think will be going back again. Expensive, slow, and hard to book. Not very satisfied with dinner, we made a stop at Super Boring Club just a few doors away. The 3-for-2 cocktail offer called to us ( not like we didn't have sake earlier ), and we had a plate of grilled kimchi octopus, and Korean garlic frie...

Sensing my mood from my recent work troubles, KH brought me out for a night out at Rivercity, Jalan Ipoh. We were a tad early for dinner, so we stopped at Curio Coffee Roasters first. A very small cafe located atop some spiral stairs. Saw a very familiar face. See if you can recognize this cutie from social media. Google Photos definitely did a very good job for me. Managed to match him from sexy screenshots from donkey years ago. The wonders of technology. Curio closes at 6PM, so we had no choice but to head over to Artisan's Playground . From what I gather, its a food court for restaurants, but the vibe was amazing. There's an option to order from a McD-esque kiosk, but I don't know why people use it when there's a online ordering option. The waiters are all robots, but they still have flesh and blood waiters on standby in case things go wrong. We had a wagyu burger, and apam with mutton curry. And I caved when I saw the cute Yoda cocktail.  Started the date with mat...

Trekking and hiking is more up KH's alley. The timing of his trips are usually not compatible with my schedule because it would clash with Saturday market and Sunday mass. Finally he found something that fit both my timing and fitness level. The place is called Mars Hill, and is located in a palm oil plantation in Sepang. It was organized by a bunch of millennials, and were just tagging along. The meeting point was at a dragon fruit orchard ( so many of them along the way, no wonder the market is flooded with draginfruits! ) in Sepang. Unfortunately, the bunch of kids could not be punctual. The stragglers delayed the trip from 4:30PM to 5:30PM, wasting precious daylight. Lots of girls on the trip. Those who took the time to put on makeup, and bra tops were given a rude shock by how unforgiving the late afternoon sun was. On the hand, I came prepared with umbrellas and arm sleeves.  The terrain was mostly flat, with lots of cow pies scattered on the paths. Our guide for the day prov...

Made a visit to a church friend who lived nearby. His father was a Parkinson's patient whose condition was deteriorating. Once he returned home from a stint in the hospital, we decided to pay his father a visit. His dad looked frail, but was still able to get up and about for short periods of time. Things were kept lively in the house by their cute pet Corgi, who seems to understand Hakka. Drools all over the place as his tongue seems permanently lolled to the side. And he goes crazy over tissue. Literally, crazy.   In the evening, it was date night KH. Hubby made reservations at Palilos , a Spanish fusion yakitori restaurant. The place is so popular that one needs to book months in advance. To avoid any traffic weekend traffic snarls during the weekend, we arrived a little earlier. Went to Elephant Republic for an iced coconut latte. Another IG-worthy cafe, but I can do without coconut milk in my lattes.  Palilos is one those places that you avoid if you're hangry. Gre...

On the exact date of KH's birthday, we still met up although it was a work day. A simple dinner at a nearby cafe  just to mark the occasion. And of course with a slice of cake thrown in. But no present for him. Bwahaha. Is this what happens to  old married couples ? The coming Saturday, we went for a nice dinner at Azeta Kitchen in Bangsar. A really quiet restaurant in Bangsar. Enjoyed the modern Italian cuisine there, and server was really friendly. Took us a while to get our heads around the mix-and-match course menu, but I think we found the sweet spot. Half way through the amuse-bouche and the cold cuts platter, we were practically full. Even so, we braved the dessert menu and had the server bring us a deconstructed panna cotta ( my brother would roll his eyes ). Whatever the case, it was delicious! 

COVID was seemingly getting better, so mum, KH, and I went to get our much delayed annual body check ups done at a clinic at Taman Equine. No red flags from the resting ECG ( just some love bites on my chest ) and abdominal ultrasound. Would have to wait a few days for the blood work to come back. Finally went to the pet shop to get some fishes for the water hyacinth outside. Needed the fish to be hardy, can survive without a water filter, and suitable under the sun. Got some guppy-like fishes in red and yellow. According to the owner of the shop, business was much better during the MCO because people who were cooped up found more time for hobbies like Betta fish and aquarium landscaping.  March is KH's month. Arranged a pre-birthday celebration in Kepong. Being too early for our dinner appointment, we loitered at a nearby cafe called KAPE . Very popular with the young crowd. I was happy with their RM8 Americano. Our dinner appointment was upstairs, a Peruvian Japanese restaurant c...

In October, Cutiepie gave me a gift certificate from Energy Spa for my birthday. Procrastinated utilizing the gift certificate until the very last minute. Always thought I had more time. By the time I made an appointment, I had only a few days left before the expiry date. Booked a couple's room, and enjoyed a wonderful 2-hour massage with KH at Energy Spa ( didn't stay longer to enjoy the highway construction view at the lounge ). As usual, KH planned the whole day around it ( although he habitually claims that its stressful :P )-- lunch at Cata , tea time at Kenny Hills Bakers , and dinner at Cafe Chef Wan .  Food at Cata was generally good, but the mishandling of our reservation left a bad aftertaste in my mouth, kinda like their patatas bravas. "Your reservation is wrong, you can't use the Eatigo discount.". "Sit here.". "No, please sit here.". In the end they gave us the discount anyway. Zzz. Anyway, the iberico ribs were yummy!  The experi...

Christmas 2021 was celebrated up north for a change. After the Winter Solstice celebration ( hotpot dinner, and pumpkin soya bean tang yuan ), the kids raided the Christmas tree and opened all their presents. The Tribe started their journey early because they liked a leisurely drive along the trunk roads. Mum tagged along with The Tribe, so I had some quality time with KH. The day before Christmas eve, KH came over to my place. Both of us worked from home. He packed lunch for me, and later in the evening we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. The whole day we had roast chicken, roast duck, and char siew . Only the siew yuk was missing! Without saying, we also fooled around, but we made sure we got enough rest because there was a long drive ahead of us the next morning.

When both of us aren't too busy at work, KH and I go for Friday night dates. KH had been eyeing 8Haus at Jalan Sin Chew Kee for its crispy pork roulade. Jalan Sin Chew Kee is an old neighbourhood located right behind Jalan Galloway ( that's where VCR Cafe is ). The houses there really have an old school feel. Most of the residents had moved out, some of the lots abandoned, and some transformed into commercial lots, like 8Haus and Pahit. As luck would have it, 8Haus was fully-booked that evening! But all was not lost as we were presented with an alternative. On the second floor is a bar called Sin Chew Kee Cold Drinks Store , and we could still order food from 8Haus' mini menu. So up we went.  As expected, the bar was really quiet, and we were given full attention by the crew ( and we had a hunky waiter, but gomenasai, no spycam! ). They specialize in tea-based cocktails. Some pretty interesting stuff in their menu, so it took us a while to choose. I went for the Umami Cockt...

Morning walks are usually uneventful. On a lucky morning, I may spot a cutie in sexy sports gear. But it was a bizarre morning at Taman Saujana Hijau because there were a whole bunch of Genshin Impact cosplayers at the European gazebo. No cuties, unfortunately. In the afternoon, KH brought me out for a cafe-hopping expedition in Cheras. Started out at Poppy Kat , a croffle joint on the second floor of a shop lot. Painted floors and tiled walls give it an old school charm. For some reason, both their staff sport the same haircut, and wear the same type of oversized Ts. The Jalapeno ham croffle didn't impress, but the Sitrus Black did. The latter is a cold long black with a good balance of citrus zest. Right at the end of the lot is a single-storey house that was converted into a cafe called Ah Gong House . Probably really someone's grandfather's house as the name implies. Prior reservation is required, but we were lucky enough to be allowed to walk in. Very homey, with the ...