Ipoh | Ming Court | Upside Down World | Concubine Lane | Nam Heong | Funny Mountain | Tambun

Brayden 8Y9M12D

Bevlynn 4Y6M5D

Road trip to Ipoh. It was easy to wake the children up. They were excited and prepared by 7:00am. 

First stop, dim sum breakfast at Ming Court. The place was already very crowded by the time we arrived. The dim sum were made in smaller sizes, it was easier for the children to eat. I especially liked the black sesame dessert. 

We then moved our way to Upside Down World Ipoh. There are various upside down theme in the 3-storey building. The difficulty was to get two children act out the part for the photo taking. They are constantly questioning "Why? How will it looked upside down?" Then they came up with various ideas which doesn't work. Mommy and Bro Max were getting less energetic by the time we reached the 3rd floor. But we still liked how the shots turned out despite the countless NG photos. 

The place is a short walking distance to Concubine Lane. The narrow lane was really crowded. There were street vendors, various shops along the lane. I wondered the name meant anything significant, and found from the internet that this place used to be a location where concubines resided. O goodness, I cannot imagine having concubines staying in one location. There must have been loads of drama and untold love triangles. Well it's very different now, it has become and attraction. The children picked some nice hats, we could use them, the sun was scorching hot and unforgiving. 

We then drove to Nam Heong Coffee Shop for some egg tarts, chee cheong fun, char koay teow and white coffee. It was all good except that we were already very full at this point. Bro Max was suggesting the next few spots for good food. We chose to have a relaxing afternoon at Jalan Theatre Coffee. Bev loved playing with the cat there. The coffee was good but the rose earl grey cake was a little too sweet for my taste. I continued with my book reading. 

After awhile of resting, we walked to Funny Mountain to have some soya milk and beancurd. Bro Max also bought 2 packets of salted bake chicken (yim kok kai) from nearby stall.

We left Ipoh around 4:30pm as we had decided to have dinner at Tambun - Jetty Seafood. We choose the corner table to have a better view of the sunset by the river. We had satay, fish, noodle, chi lei, balitong. vegetable. I was surprised when the bill came. It was less than RM150. Such a good hearty meal for an affordable price. 

Time to head home. 

 

Zhongsan Building | 25 Principles Decide What You Want | Petaling Street Yong Tau Foo | MidValley Christmas

Brayden 8Y9M11D

Bevlynn 4Y6M4D

Day 2 in KL, we woke up early to grab some coffee and cake at Piu Piu Piu in Zhongsan Building. It was a small cafe on the 1st floor. The old rustic vibe of the cafe complements the building very well. 

At that time, something amazing happened. Hub was not able to board the flight from Penang to Singapore due to our last minute decision to travel to KL. We had to burn the flight ticket. But I suddenly received a message that morning saying that the flight was very much delayed, and I could request for a full credit refund. Such a good coincidence and surprise. I believe it was the attraction happening. 

During this trip, I was reading a book by Jack Canfield. In one of the chapters, it is about Deciding What You Want in life, giving it a clear vision and imagining already having it.

That night, I sat Hub down beside the swimming pool overlooking the Merdeka 118. It was calm and cooling. The wind was blowing the trees and the leaves were dancing with a gentle rustle. 

There, we imagined our dreams and goals. It was a lovely vision and it is achievable when we set our minds to it. 

Day 3, we explored Petaling Streets for breakfast. There is a small hawker selling handmade bee tai bak noodle + yong tau foo in a hidden alley. I would have overlooked this place, and probably would not have tried if I were to travel there on my own. It felt like a very run-down place, even some of the tables were set underneath construction scaffolding. A very old hunchback auntie was busy cooking behind the stand. She had been selling it for years ever since Hub was a young boy. His Mom brought him to this place long ago... 

When the food was served, it looked rather ordinary. I had the first taste, it was actually pretty good and I liked it. A simple, non-complicated dish. 

We walked explored more at Petaling Street and sat down for a good cup of coffee. 

After shopping and taking photos with the christmas decoration in Midvalley & Gardens, that marks the end of our KL trip.

We left KL in 2 separate buses. Hub travelled to Singapore, I travelled to Penang.   

 

 

Lalaport | Rex KL | Book Xcess | The Deceased Bar

Brayden 8Y9M4D

Bevlynn 4Y5M28D

It was a short weekend trip just the two of us; Hub & I.

We booked a bus from Penang to KL. It took 6 hours. As soon as we arrived, we dropped our luggage and went to Lalaport Chef Kecik Boulangerie @ Tuah 1895 for lunch. It was such a nostalgic spot. We often walked pass the entrance on the way to Times Square. It used to be the entrance to the Pudu jail. 

Before they revamped this place, I remember years back; At night I used to feel a sense of creepiness crawled up my neck as I walked down the road under the occasional dim street light. The front path was narrow, filled with holes, and under-maintained. Every time I passed it, I couldn't help but often imagine the torture or the solemn faces of the prisoners as they served their time. The faded paints of the mural (done by an inmate) reduced the gloominess of the area. Still, it was a place I would walked in a much faster pace. 

Now it stands as a history piece. Looking much better. The restaurant served good aglio olio, nasi lemak and crispy croissant.

It was black Friday - there was a special sale at night from 10pm to midnight. We shopped around for some house furnishings and electronics. 

We took dinner at Petaling Street - a good claypot rice from a street hawker in front of Rex KL. 

After that, we crossed the road to the old Rex building. 

We found some nice eateries, Book Xcess, a small art market, old antique stores. That night, there was a DJ that transformed the building to a loud musical. We can hear the {thump thump thump} beats and the vibration on the floor of the building. Definitely felt a different vibe with all the music. It felt livelier, with more excitement from the crowd dressed in party clothes entering the hall. 

It reminded me of the old cinema that used to be here, it used to be a popular spot in the past as well. 

Hub showed me to some hidden bars. There were a few~~ How some doors on the walls led us to secret passages. We ended up choosing a bar with horror, eerie theme. The Deceased. It was our first time there. The place was near a guesthouse. The names of the cocktails has some funny ring to it. It was at first scary for me when I walked into the bar, but slowly as we sat there drinking our cocktail, the eyes from the many dolls on the shelves weren't so creepy anymore. Probably getting drunk was a good way to calm the nerves. Maybe it was also because Hub was there, and I can feel the silliness and childishness from the theme; which reminded me of our younger selves who were more adventurous and with more willingness to try new things. Okay, probably I am just getting really tipsy... 

Holiday | Cats | Animals | Kidland | Jaemi Wonderland | Kids Adventure | Baby Shark Adventure | Heritage House

Brayden 8Y9M9D

Bevlynn 4Y6M2D

It was the last day of school and the start of a long year end holiday for the children. 

We were in Penang. 

THE food haven - where bellies were getting rounder, pants were getting tighter but the mouths just couldn't resist.

Georgetown 1

We were exploring some parts of Georgetown. It was easy and convenient to walk around town. 

We wanted to have the classis toast bread and half boil egg at Toh Soon Cafe but there was with a long queue.

Walked down the street and found a quaint cat cafe, Munchkin & The Gang Cat Cafe. We ordered brunch. With meal + drink orders, the entrance is free. The children loved playing with the different variation of cats; furry ones, short-hair ones, short legged ones, big ones... I do not know the species names, but there are so many variations which I have not seen before. 

I left the children with Hub as they continued to play with the felines. They wanted to go to Prangin Mall's Kidland indoor playground after that. RM25/child. 

I walked over to the next street Rainforest Bakery to get a surprise cake for a friend. 

With a big cake in a big box in hand, I walked again to Gilda and turned up as a surprise to some friends. We had a nice lunch together. 

After that, we walked again to Catfeine Coffee for some nice coffee and good laughs. 

I went to Prangin Mall to find Hub and children. 

There is a lot of cats around us this trip. The stray cat that stays at our home had delivered 2 new kittens. Bray wanted to name them "1) Meow Meow 2) Meow 3) Meow" (Sad cat tone). 

Georgetown 2

Met Uncle at Lorong Chulia. 

He wanted to show me a heritage house which was under renovation. The house is exactly 100 years old. The unit was bared and tiles were removed. The timber flooring on the second floor had some large holes in them - termites were the issue. 

Renovating a heritage building was not easy and costly. 

I like the long, narrow house structure. And since it was bared, I can see one end of the house to the back kitchen. The air well in the middle of the house gave it some nice lighting. 

We walked around the streets nearby and saw very nice exteriors of other heritage houses. 

Stopped to have lunch at 20 Chulia Lane Cafe. The meals took some time to be served but the passion fruit drink was a good thirst quenching option. 

We head over to Jaemi Wonderland. RM35/child. This is a new indoor playground. The children played dressed up as a frog and a rabbit. They loved the balls game and sandpit. There is also a running wheel.

While waiting, I managed to catch up on my reading and written some goals for next year.

Air Itam

We went to KW Aquatic to buy some supplies for the cat. 

Children loved the hamsters and fishes. Right opposite there is a reptile shop. There we saw some iguanas, tortoises, snakes, spiders and meerkats. 

Had lunch at Hock Chuan Heong restaurant. It was no longer as good as before. The uncle made the 

Took the children to Kids Adventureland Playground at Sunshine Central. We waited for 5pm to get the Happy Hour rate - RM25/child. They loved this playground the best. 

We wanted to have dinner at Esplanade but it was under construction. So we headed to La Chica Mexican Straits Quay to have some tacos, paella and some platters. Loved the food. We even played some trivia cards. Bray was good at guessing the pictured words. 

Bayan Lepas

While Me and Hub were in KL for our we-time, Ah Mah and Bro Max brought them for a movie. They watched Zootopia 2. Also, they went to Baby Shark Adventure Ville at Queensbay Mall. 

Bro Max wanted to train Brayden to swim. We wished to put him into the next competition in January 2026 but he was too slow by 3 seconds to qualify. More training was needed.