Gazing
outside my double-storey terrace home...what I see is all greenery. A moderate sized playground with leafy green
trees lining along the park where loads of young children used to run and play
during the evenings. Now it is so much
different, those young children that I used to see filling the park with their
happy laughter and cheers have all grown up...just like my children. Only a handful still comes to play every once
in a while. Guess with all the modern
technology, more and more youngsters tend to stay indoors with their new
gadgets and computers.
Life is
getting quieter nowadays...children becomes adults with their very own dreams
and ambitions and they leave home to start a separate life on their
own...striving for their better future.
Even the neighbourhood has turned rather quiet. Early in the mornings, as I take a breath of
fresh air from my room balcony, I only see people of middle age taking their
morning jog or walk. But as the sun
rises, everyone will go about with their usual routine and the roads would
quieten down.
As we
age, friends that have been with us for years as our children grew up together
finally leave us, moving in with their children elsewhere in bigger cities. My second daughter has made a career for
herself in the big city where she studied and graduated. Earlier this month, I sent my youngest down
to join her sister as she starts her three months internship as required for
her graduation. As for my eldest, she
has made the choice to work here after graduating...which is good, but
eventually she too will start a life on her own once she meets her Mr. Right...then
there will be just the two of us left in what will seem to be in this “big”
house when all the kids have left home.
Everyone
tells me “You’ll have to let them go sooner or later”...which is all too true.
But which mother can “totally” let go, after having them beside us since the
day we heard their first cry after hours of painful labour. So as I sent my youngest to the big city, I
just can’t help but be a little worried about her wellbeing. I’m sure other mothers would share the same
sentiment as me. Thankfully for both of
us, her sister has lovingly provided her with both lodging and
transport...which has put my mind so much more at ease (Love you so much
*muacks* )
So my
recent short trip down to Kuala Lumpur (yet once again) was really a trip with
a purpose, but in between all the busy arrangements making sure she has all
that she needs, I still manage to squeeze in some family time with my mom,
brother, sister and at the same time enjoy a few days with my two daughters
before returning back home.
What
can be more satisfying than having a good breakfast with family each time I’m
there...
Enjoying
a hearty breakfast with my mum, brother, sister, nephew & nieces at Factory Food Court in USJ1. There aren’t many stalls in the morning as
most open during the evenings for dinner.
Tried their Curry Chee-Cheong Fun...not too good as I find the curry is
way too diluted but the one with their original sweet sauce is much nicer. Their Prawn noodles (Hokkien Mee) was really
delicious...but I missed out taking a photo of it.
We
spent some nights at my brother’s place and another 2 nights at a budget hotel
near to 1Utama at Kota Damansara to be closer to my daughters. The One Avenue Hotel at Jalan Masjid is just a 5 mins drive to
1Utama Shopping Mall. It is located at a
block of shop lot near to the Pelangi Utama Apartments. The outlook of the hotel may not look too
great, but once inside, we found it to be nice & clean. We booked the Superior Double Room which came
with a very comfortable double bed and amenities like air-condition, bottled
water, hairdryer, writing desk and free Wifi.
Another plus point about its location is that you can find restaurants,
convenience stores like 7Eleven, 99 Speedmart & even a clinic is just right
at the same block.
There
is this one restaurant with the most unique name where we had our morning
breakfast ~Botak Restaurant (^-^). Not only is
their name unique, the food they serve is rather good & you can find an
amazing array or about 30~40 choices of dishes served as early as 9.00am if you
favour to have rice in the morning. While we were having our breakfast we
noticed quite a number of people came in to ‘tapao’ their dishes for lunch.
Needless
to say, each time I go down, my daughter never fails to take us for enjoyable
meals each time we are there =)
When my
daughter suggested dinner at Dragon-i, I was hesitant as I heard that their
prices are quite expensive...but she insisted that I try their famous ‘Siao Loong Bao’. Their menu also offers a wide variety of
dishes ranging from the most expensive abalone right down to noodles. Needless
to say their food is definitely scrumptious. I ordered their seafood noodles
and I can feel the freshness of the prawns with every bite and their Siao Loong
Bao...Mmmmmm...so yummy. At your first bite, you can taste its yummy soup
oozing out from the Bao.
Dragon-i Restaurant @ The Curve, Kota Damansara
DRAGON-i ~ very well known for their ‘Siao Loong Bao’(top right), but
all their food is so very delicious as well.
For a
western meal, we went to Fullhouse at Sunway
Giza. I have been there before and their food and delightful decorations have
always beckoned me back for more.
Their pastas were great ~From top right – Vongole Spaghett (packed
with clams with a slightly spicy taste), Seafood Spaghetti, Sea Coconut &
Lychee & Blueberry Cheese Cake
Another
stop was Home Town Restaurant also at Sunway
Giza, my daughter says their noodles are good, but once we sat down &
browsed through the menu, she noticed that they have marked up their price (who
wouldn’t notice when they put stickers over the old price!!) I find their food
so-so only..nothing to brag about but I find it a bit expensive for what we
ordered.
Hometown Restaurant at Sunway Giza ~Prawn Noodles (left), Sour &
Spicy Meat Noodles
Nandos!
We decided to try this as we don’t have any Nandos outlet in my hometown. Come to think of it.. there’s no Kenny
Rodgers, Manhattan Fish Market, Sakae
Sushi or even Subway! =(
At The
Curve enjoying our cakes @ Secret Recipe ~ Love
their Crème Brulee Cheese Cake (top left), Chocolate Mud Cake & Chocolate
Indulgence
Cheese Baked Pork Chop, Shanghai Noodles with Egg, Fried Rice,
Ice Blended Sour Plum & Lychee @ Wong Kok
Having
late lunch at Wong Kok at 1Utama after shopping.
We opted for their after 3pm set meal. We thought the food would taste really
good since we were all so hungry but as it turned out the dishes we ordered was
so-so only except for the Cheese Baked Pork Chop which my daughter ordered.
On our
final night in Kota Damansara, we had a fabulous early Mother’s/Father’s Day
celebration treat from my daughter at New York New York
Deli @ 1Utama Shopping Mall. Everything we ordered turned out to be
simply delicious.
Fish N Chips, Lamb Sandwich, Cheese Baked Rice, Chicken Pizza
with Bacon chips, Fresh Orange & Root Beer Float ...simply the best (^-^)
Needless
to say...every good thing sometimes have to come to an end =(
We
stayed 2 nights at One Avenue Hotel before returning home. On our last night there my two daughters
decided to stay over at the hotel with us...a little bit of a squeeze but it we
really loved the cosiness (^-^)
I miss
them already, and the quietness of the neighbourhood makes me miss them even
more.......
