Everybody likes breaking fast together. It showed. We asked around to see if anybody wanted to iftar together and walaa(dont know how to french spell the word) 26 ppl showed up. Didnt know they will be so many takers. The more the merrier. And just to highlight the obvious, not a lot tops bringing people together better than food.
We held it last Friday at Fridays, Subang Parade. The 26ppl that came were - Agus+Anis + 3 kids, Peeps (minus the wife in pantang and new baby Anas), Irwan+wife+younger sister (i made the mistake asking if she was the kakak - after seeing her reaction to the question, i didnt speak to her again - horror), Shahrul+Su (without Shania - nampak sangat guilty tinggalkan anak, asik2 bagi alasan HINI), Amru + Siti (still in the i lap u, u lap me phase), Myself + Maz (best looking couple mostly due to Maz), Faizal + Mas (very yuppie looking couple), Mazleen + Keish (Rambut stylo couple), Bo + Aza (Pengantin baru - perut Bo nampak tak baru), Adri + Amira (Penganting lagi baru - tuesday sebelum puasa nikah, why tuesday? longg storryy), Mazlan + Diana (Kak+Bang long as we call it), Wafi (VIP -voluptuous immensed person). I hope i didnt leave anybody out.. ramaii. We also missed those regulars that couldnt make it. Next time.
Undisputedly, we had a great time Everybody was laughing and sharing stories. Sharing food and eating has not been this much fun. The great food worked as catalyst to our cheerful mood. Not to mention the environment and service. We had never been disappointed with TGI. Even Wafi was happy. I made sure every food unclaimed went through Wafi just to enticed him further leaving the waiters confused. Pictures were also taken courtesy of Amru (somehow i feel Amru was more interested talking to Siti rather than shoot pics - susah tul org bercinta) and several other amateur photographers. The only downside was that everybody couldnt talk to everybody.. ramaiii.
Unfortunately we had to leave as the clock was striking 9pm. Didnt realize how time was flying didnt even get to the part kutuk Wafi and Bo. But a call from Zareef (shouted and demanded why we werent back yet - pengawas tul) made us realized we had to make a move. Before we berangkat, we promised to do another iftar together at Molek's. Hope it'll be this good and people can make it especially those who missed Friday's.
ps.. Joke of the night came from Wafi about our friends newborns name. Ask him for details cause its case sensitive. Pics are still being uploading (slow giler blogspot upload gambar).
Some call it Bo-fey and some Buff-fat. Either way it represents abundance of food (Warren Buffet is another story). During this fasting month, every restaurant has its own version of sorts. After scanning through a few ads, i found it really2 pricey (low value for money in my opinion). Some are just ridiculously expensive. No doubt the business owners formulate the prices to create profit considering the variety, delicacy and all. Which is all fair in our capitalist system. Nobody forces (but only persuades/influence) you to choose their buffet.
I am just worried about the waste and gluttony it creates which i hope is not that case. But experiences dining during Ramadan tells me different. People tend to take more than they can handle and in such a kiasu manner that perturbs me and definitely not in the holy month spirit. Maybe its because they want to get their moneys worth, setting an all-you-can-eat record or just plain starving. But it just seems wrong wasting.
Dont get me wrong, its wonderful breaking fast together and celebrating it but I would like to remind myself and others to eat/live in moderate and do not waste as God intend us to. Insyallah.
"Eat and drink freely: but waste not by excess, for He does not like the wasters." (Surah Al-Araf, 7:31)
Found this story/joke at a friends facebook page. Do enjoy cause i found it hilarious
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She reduced altitude and spotted a man below. She descended a bit more and shouted, 'Excuse me sir, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am.'
The man below replied, 'You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.' 'You must be an engineer,' said the lady balloonist. 'I am', replied the man. 'How did you know?' 'Well, answered the balloonist, 'everything you told me is technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me at all. If anything you've delayed my trip even more.'
The man below responded, 'You must be a manager.' 'I am,' replied the lady balloonist, 'but, how did you know?' 'Well,' said the man, 'You don't know where you are, or where you're going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air within. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems.'
Ramadanis my favorite time of the year. Better than raya. Undoubtedly, it is very special religious wise. I am not the best person to list out all the advantages spiritually but the bottom line is you get extra pahala for doing ibadah and resisting temptations are a lot easier. Luckily in Malaysia, everything is set up for you to do that. You really feel the holiness of the month and people just tend to be nicer and enjoying it. I just wish that it can be like this all the time. We should concentrate more on the real reason God made us and avoid the belittling trivial matter. On that note i would like to wish everybody:
"Selamat berpuasa dan semoga amalan kita pada bulan mulia ini di-rahmatiNya"
ps.. God willing, i pray to be calmer and drop some weight (target weight 68kg before raya, 69kg after raya.. current weight top secret) during this holy month.
Reading back my rant.. yes i sound a little too pissed. So i thought i should cool down (had more time and just got back from outstation) a little because i believe its damaging me more than the people i intend to. I just wanted to bare it out.
No more details needed.. cause i wrote it out and my intentions fulfilled although some without further elaboration. Instead of dwelling more on it.. i should focus on solutions. A real solution that will really fix the problem.... and not depending on others. I learned from experiences.. whats the managements problem, is also your problem but whats your problem, is your problem.
Things are in motion.. its just a matter of time before it will succeed. Insyallah .. I pray to God my/my familys life journey will have success and be in His graciousness in this lifetime and the life after.
ok... heres the second part of my rant. the disclaimer still applies - stop reading if its sounds too b*tching or over the top.
i thought after a while i will a be little bit calmer but unfortunately i'm still extremely pissed off. Every free moment of my thought is very resentful and malicious, hence making me stressful. So please 'bear' (and not 'bare' - tq AZ for the literature lesson) with me will i let/write it out. Somehow putting it in this blog lets me really sort out my thoughts and documenting my 'emo' moments as future reference.
i realized i forgot to tell how i'm trapped in this unfortunate predicament. So here is the story line:
After SPM, i got 3 oversea scholarships offers (alhamdulillah - cause it was kinda difficult due to the 97-98 recession) to be either a Dr (JPA), Accountant (Renong) or an Engineer (TNB). At that time, TNB was a great company.. benefits, pay, progress and all. Therefore i choose it. Flying to US so soon (August after the SPM results after i got an ok SAT + TOEFL result) was also a big plus.
After the degree i was bonded for 7 years. The term stipulates if i defaulted i would have to pay RM700k+. A ridiculous amount, mind boggling how much they spend for me. Previous batches had to pay only RM130k max. Furthermore, there is no pro-rate in the contract and the total amount has to paid in full after 60 days of resignation. That is the dilemma. My good friend AZ has calculated it will be another 401 days till our contract date.
i didnt mind working my heart out for the company (which i did) seeing how much they paid for me and how they are treating us but the problem is they changed. They like to change the rules in the middle of the game. Our benefits, pay raise, job grade and growth were cut dramatically. Somehow the seniors are having the great deals but not us juniors. As an example medical for the seniors covers till death while we till retirement, retirement benefits gap mounting up to hundred of thousands in difference, having the same accomplishment and service length wont get you as far as it would previously by a mile etc etc. You can argue its due to the economy, but its just not the case since it happened before the crisis and during our profits were increasing.
My actual job involves shift work, situation awareness, decision making, crisis management, high responsibility and so forth as we are solely responsible for the integrity of Peninsular Malaysia high voltage electrical grid (blackouts kat rumah not included but kalau satu daerah or mukim - yes). I was satisfied as i deemed it as really powering the nation and being highly technical but like always they changed the rules and transferring job is out of the question because nobody wants to come and replace you (all of us have handed in request - yes all of us). They started reducing our allowances and staffs for the most ridiculous of reasons (CEO went to japan and wanted to emulate them not considering anything else - shallow bugger) .
So thats a little bit of how i came about being in this hell hole. So here are the reasons why i hate being in this scenario (cant help making it long):
Missing weekends and holidays all the time. I really feel this one especially because my wife works weekdays and the only time i see her are during weekends. Weekdays especially nights and evening shift i would barely speak to her. For the past 2-3 months, i only had 1 weekend. Itupun they kept calling me to come back from my Melaka outing. They had the cheek to ask me to take the bus as i used the no transportation excuse. I also envy gatherings during holidays because i am always left out or have to decline their invitations. Another thing about the weekends, one of us is doing masters and his classes are on the weekends. Typically we had to cover his shift, therefore less weekends. He initially was taken out but one other colleague (the least liked) decided to retaliate and threaten to resign. So he was put back in and the retaliater got his way... furthering our misery.
Coming to work during off/rest days. As any of us are unable to make our way to work for whatever reason, somebody that is off will have to sit in. So one 's pleasure (kalau tak MC) is anothers misery and somehow the pleasure is lopsided where some take leaves more than others and some covers more than others. Nowadays i'm doing more, consequently me being to most sour. Currently a colleague has been sick for a number of weeks and not coming back soon (not his fault) but in the end everybody else suffers. It comes to a point that if your on leave and do have a MC, you still have to come to work but if the VP comes to visit they will hide you as not the make them look bad - real case when a friend had his hand bandaged. A real low even for them. Imagining you breaking promises to your children/ change of plans everytime you receive a phone call to come to work. Even the family suffers. I quote my son " Ayah asik kerjaaaa jee, Ayah buang je lah kerja ngan TNB"
Tired all the time. Always sleep deprived and consequently in a bad mood. Most of the time hanging out with the kids i'll be lying down. Even Zara (1+ years old) understands cause she always offers me a pillow when i'm playing with her.
Management attitude towards all this. As long as its not bothering them directly.. the tend to take lightly our situation. Always give excuses even though some are legitimate but not all. 'Its a matter of time' the say before our problems are solved. The thing is its been nearly 10 months.. how much time do u still want taking into consideration we are suffering while waiting. We have given all the solutions but its somehow stuck at their level. Bureaucracy indeed!
Reduction in staffs. The most problems came from this. The brilliant CEO not knowing the impact decided to just cut our staffs and the other higher managements just let it be. They were previous attempts but our previous VP fought it out making the end to all this nonsenses. No, its not cost saving cause ur still employing the others. Its actually increasing cause we started claiming and taking leaves. Just imagine with the same workload a company decides to 1/6 of its employees without taking any other mitigating steps. Thats how its going down.
Entitle to claim. We are entitled to claims but to be fair its ok but not that much. If we follow our hourly rate we should be getting more especially our shift managers. Another thing if we work weekends or holidays the claim is the same... so why do we want to replace during those precious/important days. We have limited off time during holidays as it is. I would rather go out enjoying the time with the family and friends than work.
Theres more to my rant but i'm kinda tired and other things need to be done. I promise theres the next entry will be my last about my ranting and hopefully make me at peace. But heres what i still have left to eloborate:
Doing the managers job
So little pay/job grade for so much responsibility
Same pay/job grade for the less stressful job
No career path
Nobody wants the job cause so pathetic a situation
Note: We intend this blog to give a feel-good-feeling. Sorry this entry is not the case. Please ignore if it bores or depresses you.
It's been really rough at work this year especially this past few months. Things have just gone too far and things have crossed the line as i see it. Making amends or fixing the problem is no longer an option for me and that boat has sailed. Sorry dear colleagues - i cant fight anymore and there is no fire in me left.
One of my better attributes is my passion/semangat towards the things i appreciate/like and responsible for. But on the downside, when i am betrayed/abused/used/taken advantage/unfairly treated i will really be spiteful/vengeful/vindictive and finally heartbroken. That is just the way i am build up. I surely think most who knows me agree to this.
I have always dreamed of being the best engineer and putting a tremendous deal of effort in it. Even achieving things at a precedence level but of course no recognition or reward from the company (just pisses me off more because my pay grade + promotion is the same as or below real obvious deadwoods with no value to the company at all). Being the youngest Professional Engineer in the company history, the second youngest in the country, the 2nd youngest (youngest is a colleague of the same batch - but i got mine 3 months earlier) 500kV Authorized Person, the least service time to be a High Voltage Switching Engineer (highly technical position with paramount responsibilities but undoubtedly the suckiest job). Hell.. even my managers (senior of 10+ years experience) come to me for signatures to sit for their professional interview and sign off on their engineering drawings (should have asked for Rm500 a signature - market price).
Yes my signature is worth a lot - if i am submitting its like RM8000 a pop but i cant do that as i am bonded to the company and cant moonlight outside. People have approached me to just use my cert and willing to pay Rm2000 a month for nothing - but i just cant take that risk.
[As i am writing this, a colleague of mine called up (even before he said hello -i told him i knew i had to come to work, happens too frequently) to tell me the boss asked me to work this evening shift... see it sucks big time, as i am off and its considered as my rest day after night shift (for the past 3 months - i havent had my real 3 days straight rest day) . Furthermore i am just getting better from demam yg tak cukup rehat/tidur - yeah like they care. And the bosses have no balls to put everything in black and white but uses our colleagues to call us so that whatever happens they let go. Even though ur lying in the hospital bed they expect you to find a replacement and if you dont its your problem. Leadership TNB (my company) 101 - cover ur a*s, bunch of pus*ies and di*ks. ]
Due to this phone call and the piss off mood i am in right now, i am stopping here. Will write more, with more specifics of how my management and company are morons, idiots and as*wipes.
Hooot hoot!! I'm being featured in Creative Mini Album! This is my first time being featured so I am very excited! Thank you Kristine for picking my humble "About Me" minibook! I was just sharing my mini and was surprised when she wanted to feature it. Do check out their site. They featured very lovely minibooks there! A great source of inspiration.. For more pictures of my minibook you can visit myScrapperocks! page.
Camero Bumble Bee with our own Bumble Zareef (i choose this T-shirt knowing we were getting his Bumble Bee)
We finally found/bought Bumble Bee (Zareef's favourite transformers). Not without much effort i might add. We went through at least 7 toy stores (Sunway + Midvalley + 2 days) before we found an original ROTF one of the right size in Toys R Us Bangsar Village. It was the last one in the store. When i first saw it, i snatched it up as though it was made from gold. Now i understand what shopaholics/makcik2 time raya go through.
During our 'toy search' adventure, we did find a few other transformers action figures. There were the cartoon, oldies, collectors version et al. But we were only interested in the recently ROTF released models. It has to be exactly like in the movies, kalau tak - anak ngan ayah sekali kecewa. Whats pathetic was that some sales man was trying to push their so called 'oliginal' toy to us as though they personally picked them up from the Hasbro production line.
One transaction attempt went as followed:
"Boss, saya mau beli Bumble Bee original, ada ka.. kena betul2 original?" me asking the salesman
"Ada... sini semua 'oliginal'! "was the answer. He went back and came out with a toy.
"Then how come 'oliginal' have no box", i asked while looking at the toy being unwrap in a half a cent plastic cover.
"Ini collectors punyaaa, kalau tak 'oli' .. mesti RM5 saja", was the bold B.S. answer and he was selling it at RM65.
Lying so blatantly in my face, i thought to myself
"Boleh you tunjuk dia tukar jadi kereter" asked him to transform the Bumble Bee into a Camero.
"Boleh2.. senang saja.. tak payah instructions" he answered while transforming it. It became so obvious that it was a rip off when pieces were coming apart during the transforming. At that time, i felt like shoving the fallen pieces in his mouth.
More so, these sales people were trying to make us feel bad/miss out if we didnt buy their stuff. Bunch of unethical hustlers in my opinion. Most of KL sales people act like this for what reasons, i dont know. Its just so rampant and they do it without feeling guilt and shame. Maybe its because they dont lose anything in trying.
So back to the toys. They were several original ROTF toys out there and it seems all so cool. Check transformers.com (currently Zareef's favourite site) for more details and pics. I particularly like the big sized Bumble Bee (RM400+), medium sized Megatron (RM120) and enormous Constructicon Devastator (RM400+ = combine 6 robots together). But being a grown up, i would not indulge myself in this (yeahh rightttt!!). So i tell myself. The truth is, i'll buy every single transformer if i can afford it and get away with it without feeling guilty or ridiculed. As my defence i would also like to state, i was a little deprived of my childhood. I didnt have toys and all my time i have was for studying. You can ask my parents, school mates and siblings if you dont believe me.
Apart from its awesomeness, another wonderful part of the new transformer toys is that they are so robust. They dont damage without serious effort and easy to put together if pieces came apart. Proven when the kids have been playing with one (the robots name is Long Haul - it can turn into a truck) for a couple of months but it still is intact (another reason i dont mind sharing the transformer if i finally buy them). Not many toys come up standing after a few days in our house especially something like Long Haul, being played with every other day. I also have to state that, its amazing how creative and intuitive the toy makers are - to be able the robots to actually change into cars, planes, trucks and so forth. Transforming them is also not an easy task . Real cases - 'kalau tak dapat transform tu, blame it on the toy eventhough org lain buat ok je' or 'tak kisah pun takleh transform after actually trying for the past 10 minutes or so'. No doubt, Zareef and Zara really loves playing with these transformers and i believe it is one of those toys kids can grow up together with (when Zara is old enough, we will do this with a Barbie). Zareef is also keen (just like me) about the movie. I think he has watch the the first transformer movie not less than 10 times. No doubt the 'Transformers' culture has really captured our family.
In a nutshell, in the case of 'Transformers' i can really say 'Whats make my children happy, makes me happy' and 'Parents live their dreams through their children'.
ps.. as a Grid Power engineer, i deal with actual high voltage transformers on a daily basis. Eventhough i ought to concerntrate more on the actual transformer, i would rather be fascinated with the Optimus, Megatrons and Bumble Bees.
As part of our annual event, we entered the ExxonMobil treasure hunt held by ERC (ExxonMobil Recreational Club) last weekend. We have been doing this for the past 5 years and somehow this time we had the best time. Maybe its because we ditched the kids... hahahahha first time ever. Felt guilty but rejuvenating at the same time. Sorry kids but thats why we brought you to sunway lagoon a few days before (rasa less guilty). Anyways, Mama & Ayah needs a break, some alone time and a second honeymoon desperately.
This year we (Maz & me) went hunting with another couple Shahir and Sakeenah. Both were rookies at treasure hunting but you couldnt tell with their smart wits, eagle eyes and calm collective personality (Shahir is one of the calmest person i have ever met... macam tok guru Nik Aziz). Cant ask for better team mates. Everybody 'gelled' well, had good chemistry and did their jobs well.
The thing to highlight was we had a very good approach to the hunt and executed our strategies extremely well and efficiently. It shows because we ended up 5th (the best position we had ever had) out of 40+ teams, arrived half and hour early (only 6 cars came on time), couldnt get only the ridiculously hard questions, finished only 6 points out of 110 points or so behind the leaders (they win every time and seem like professionals) and most importantly we were happy and enjoying ourselves (you can really see the other team stressing out especially with each other).
From our efforts, we won Jaya Jusco coupons worth RM500. Money back and more. I have already decided to buy a Bumble Bee transformer robot with my winnings (promised my boy and didnt have extra money before). The only regret i have was that the points separating the 2nd to 5th top teams were only a 2-3 points and the prizes were about RM100 more for each top positions. But we achieved our target to be top 5 although Shahir dreamed we won. Sorry mate, maybe next time.
So heres a few of the ridiculous questions for your amusement (courtesy of Suresh - a really good quizzer/organizer, have enjoyed/amazed by all his questions for the past 5 years):
Q: i? Ans: the heart of commitment. Heart meaning the core/middle of the word commun'i'cation
Q: 24 to 11? Ans: 10:36 (time). Imagine a hugh billboard with TV's, fridge and a DVD player. And on the DVD player, the clock showed 10:36
Q: Damaged, all dead? Ans: Eviola. Damaged is code for anagram and "all dead" = "0 alive"
Q: Second from last is nothing? Ans: x+y = x. When you work out the math, you get Y(second last alphabet)=0 (nothing)
Q: Mother in Silk? Ans:Sumatera (in a small map logo). Mother = Ma and silk = sutera.
Having mentioning the question we have to say thank you to our highly reliable info resources. Our own walking talking wikipedia Mr. AZ and google-it expert Miss K.
So apart from the treasure hunt, we had the luxury of enjoying Melaka. We were really sucked in by the culture and attractions. To name a few were the Portugese Red Area, Jonka Street and Padang Pahlawan. We had local delights namely cendol, dodol, sotong bakar, air mata kuching and so forth. Not forgetting buying lovely souvenirs at Jonka Street. Tq Shahir and Sakeenah for bringing us around.
But the best part of our trip must be the dinner we had at Umbai (not Dubai like i and Fariz Fahmi thought). It was about 15 minutes away from our hotel (hotel not that grand and not worth describing) but as usual following Aleq (tak power langsung direction walaupun tak habis2 ngan GPS dia) took about 45 minutes (dahlah lapar giler lepas hunt). The seafood there was SUPERBBBB!!!! and Cheapp!!! really really cheap. We paid only RM310 for 2 huge ikan jenahak bakar, 1.5 kilo sotong goreng kfc, 1 kilo ikan pari asam pedas, .5 kilo ketam sambal, 2 kailan dish, 2 huge ikan siakap masak 3 rasa and sweet and sour, 10 otak2, 7 bungkus nasi lemak, nasi satu periuk and 3 jugs of water including juices. I thought it would cost us more than RM500, thats what you'll get if your in KL. Not to mention it was really fresh. Didnt seem to bother about the lost drive getting there after that. It was worth the wait.
Apart from that we had a relaxing time, most of it spending time with each other (couples quality time). That morning after breakfast we had the taklimat for the answers and prize giving. This ended till the afternoon due to many2 'controversies' to the answers. Ade2 jelah org tak puas hati but all in good fun. Who can blame them, tensiooonn if the answers was right in front of your face and you couldnt get it at the time.
I'm guessing it is very clear that we enjoy treasure hunting. Wish we could it more often and with more friends involved. Maybe in the future.
Pics will be posted soon!
Here are the pics as promised:
Maz and me happy at the start of the Hunt @ Menara ExxonMobil
Great Team mates - Sakeenah and Shahir
Ada windmill kat Mesia? Only at Portuguese Town in Melaka
The famous red tower clock. Unfortunately its not telling the right time.
The landmark fountain of Melaka. Forgot to wish and throw in a 1 sen coin... maybe a 5 sen coin.
Enjoying the Cendol Melaka next to Red Square
Maz having sotong bakar while walking down Jonka Street.
Makam Hang Kasturi on Jonka Street. I thought the Hangs were only legends. That shows how cultured I am. Exactly depan makam ni org jual dodol.
The architecture is full of culture and unique. This seems to be one of the restaurants on Jonka Street
All sorts of asam @ Jonka street.
In Jonka Street we found this naked lamp. hilarious
Ikan siakap masak 3 rasa @ Restoran Parameswara Umbai.... layannnn!!!
Kepuasan hati selepas makan... masing2 dah nak meletup especially the preggys
I had an ear problem the other day. Went to see the panel Dr 3 times before getting a referral to see the E.N.T. specialist but not before being pumped with antibiotics and in the end didnt really get any better.
Apart from being frustrated with the panel Drs. treatment, i was annoyed on how long it took me to see the E.N.T. Here is the timing it took me at SJMC or now called Sime Darby Medical Center (thinking it will faster because closer to zareefs school):
10 minutes - find a parking (lucky because i followed a couple getting out)
40 mintues - registering to see the dr. that was after i called up personally my insurer (PMC) to ask why so late in faxing my Guarantee Letter. Seems the hospital receptionist tak hantar fax.
5 minutes - in line to see the ENT
5 minutes - The actual treatment. The Dr. had a peak, sucked some stuff out and poofff i was healed.
5 minutes - to get my prescription order and other paperwork
1 hour - to get my medication (the most frustrating part). Only for one measly ear drop medicine.
20 mintues - Just to get out of the carpark and line up to pay.
So in the end it took me 2 hours 25 minutes for a 5 minute treatment. Damnnnnn it. Can you beleive that from a highly expensive private hospital. And worst of all i was suppose to pick up Zareef and i was an hour plus late (i budget 1 jam 30 je to go to the hospital.. and i couldnt pick him up first because takut hilang parking and turn).
Zareef was the last one at school and he looked as he was counting every second i was late. I will never forget his sad face (he is rarely sad but normally mengamuk je). Once i parked he was already clinging at the school gates. He was trying to hold in his tears while asking 'kenapa ayah lambat sangat?' but tak tahan sedih, dia terus nangis silu. It made me extremely sad/upset especially adding to my frustration before. Felt like i failed him. i did. i guarantee (god willing) this will not happen again.
(as the Cowboys/Cowgirls at Sunway Lagoon shouts it)
It was a brilliant idea to run away from our very much dull/tense daily lives and just be able to have fun with the real important people in your life @ family. Everybody was so excited and had a wonderful time at Sunway Lagoon. No doubt, we were very happy and had left with very pleasant memories.
We went there last Thursday to beat the weekend crowd. The wife even took a day off to layan us (especially me) or just use it as an excuse to run away from it all. It turned out to be the right move because even though there were quite a few people but it was still comfortable. The only inconvenience was at certain places it wasn't so stroller friendly. Yes the people were mostly arab tourists (felt like we were in Dubai or something). I assume there were less than 10% locals. We didn't have to wait that long too for any rides, at the most 5 minutes. So i suggest if anybody wants to go, do it on weekdays.
I bought tickets for 3 parks namely the water park (the best), the amusement park (oklah.. the rides not that grand but still fun) and the animal park (more for the kids to interact with the animals). I believe the prices were a bit high for locals but in general i think its value for money (maybe because i believe locals are not getting paid enough). Oh yeah, the food was expensive too and they don't let you bring in outside food. Another thing to be said, i was impressed with its maintenance. It was really clean and not run downed (unlike what i assumed - malaysian mentality tul). This is how it should be in malaysia but unfortunately its more for the tourist then for us :(
So to highlight a few attractions for you, below are my top 7 lists:
The all dark twist water slide - you wont see the turns while shooting down at high speed (either it was high speed or i was just scared)
Sliding lying down the high slides - sliding down head first at high speed (especially if your heavy... no need to mention i was very slow)
Wave pool- waves + warm waters and the 'burst water tank' was great for everyone including small kids. Could spend hours without noticing the time.
Kids pool - Plenty of slides for all ages, water canons, fountains, animal statues and 'burst water tank'
Big Ship ride - you will swing up and down and finally turn upside down in this one.
Petting Zoo - you get to touch animals such as rabits, guinea pigs, hamster... it was interesting for the kids. Zara was happy to touch them, zareef was busy running away from them.
Tigers - we got to see the tiger up close (about 1 meter) but dissapointed when at feeding time there were no feedings.
Again, i have to say we had a lot of fun. We will definately be going there again especially the water park. Hopefully next time with more family (along's family + wawa bailed out last minute due to unavoidable circumstances) and friends.
Below are a few pictures taken. The wife actually posted more but i deleted my shirtless pics because its too 'sexy' for the publics eye (the real reason = taknak delete banyak sangat comment of my 'fit' body)
Zazamazu day out @ Sunway Lagoon (kids looking grumpy sebab tak start2 lagi having fun)
Enjoying the Animal Statutes
Zara petting Cheeky (she calls all flurry cute animals cheeky referring to our next door cat)
Guinea Pigs lapar at the petting zoo.
Trying to copycat the 'head in tiger mouth' act like in the circus
Enjoying the view from the wagon merry-go-round
Posing while waiting in line for the ride
Zara trying to swim/ enjoying the water park
Sunday, August 2
Here are a couple of layouts I did. The first one is another layout of my girl..Zara. These pictures were taken during Zareef's 4th birthday party. She is just soo sweet when she smiles, really a heartwarmer.. :) I like how the reds match with her dress..
This layout is for Scrap-It-Lah August challenge. For this challenge, I did a layout of our New Year Eve's gathering at Faizal's house. Every year, we gathered together during New Year Eve and played cards and board games until wee hours in the morning. This year, we played Cranium, which was introduced by Shahrul. It was a fun game, especially when playing with our 'crazy' Shah Alam friends. These pictures were taken by non other than our friend Amru. He always took nice pictures (pro lah katakan..), so I always like to scrap his pictures.
For more pictures of the layouts, please visit my Scrapperocks! page.
