Gelato @ Patisfrance USJ Taipan

This is all my brother's fault! He's the one who first brought me to this place...

Patisfrance is a bakery that also sells very yummy gelato which is worthy of a blog post of its own.

It costs RM3.50 for a single scoop, RM5.60 for 2 scoops and RM9.60 for 4 scoops.

So it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it makes economical sense to buy the 4-scoop cup. And no, you can't buy 4 scoops in 2 cups for RM9.60. That would be RM5.60 x 2.

I brought my own container so that I could buy a 4-scoop cup and then transfer 2 scoops over so that the kids each eat out of separate containers because they don't want their different flavours getting mixed up and I don't want them fighting.

I had 4-scoop cup - dragon fruit, mango, ferrero rocher and belgian chocolate.

The boys particularly liked the strawberry sorbet flavour.

I don't know the address of this place but it's just about 50m down the road between Standard Chartered and HSBC in Taipan USJ. It's a busy place during the day and I wouldn't even venture here on weekdays. But on a Sunday night, driving and parking is a breeze and certainly worth the drive.

Visiting the Hog again

Today marks our 12th courting anniversary.

I know...married people don't usually remember these anniversaries. But my dear daalin will not let me forget it because he actually asked me to be his girlfriend on 20th July 2000 and I told him to wait 6 months!

Then 2 days later, we were having dinner at wai sek kai SS2 when we bumped into one of my juniors who asked "boyfriend ah?" to which I very very quickly answered "NO!!!"

After that I felt really bad and so agreed to be his girlfriend on 22nd July 2000.

So here we are now 12 years later...

                                      

 Feeling piggish, we decided to go back to The Hungry Hog. This time, we had the ribs...

I counted a total of 6 very meaty ribs with super tender succulent juicy meat that falls off the bone effortlessly.

Daalin and I also shared an iPork burger. Nice.

Joy had keropork with her bring-from-home-salmon-porridge.

Joseph studied the menu and then declared, :I'll have the Humpty Dumpty".

It's fried egg (with a gooey runny yolk), streaky bacon and cheese.

 I'm surprised we polished off everything...

 ...*burp*

Family Sunday

What a day it's been!

The kids woke up at 6am!!!

Yes, you read that right....6am on a Sunday morning to hike up Gasing Hill. Daalin took Joe and Joy while I stayed in dreamland with Isabel. Unfortunately he forgot the camera. Nevertheless the had a very good father-and-children hike followed by roti telur breakfast. I'm surprised that Joy enjoyed the one-hour hike and am rather proud of her.

They got home at 9.15am and after a rest, went for a swim.

 Isabel joined them for a short while, much to Joe and Joy's delight

 They so so enjoyed tugging her along in her boat.

And after a good afternoon nap to recharge their batteries, we went back to the hog and had yummy gelato again. But that's another post.

Rainbow dresses for my princesses

I sewed for my princesses! I can sew!!!

I surprise even myself!

Joy was absolutely delighted and couldn't stop twirling in her new rainbow dress!

It really was a LOT of work because of the many tiers and also because the only sewing machine I have access to is a century-old antique hand-crank one that looks something like this...

I did all my research online, reading many many tutorials (while feeding Isabel to sleep at nights) and then measured the girls, drew my own patterns and sewed everything from scratch.

And I discovered elastic thread!!!  Really...it's a wonderful invention that gives maximum results with minimum effort.

Joseph doesn't want to be left out and he's asked me to do something rainbow-ish for him too. I'm thinking of a vest...stay tuned!

Sunday dinner at The Hungry Hog

I've been wanting to visit The Hungry Hog for a while now and finally had the chance today.

Tua Pek was in town for the MTV concert last night and we met up for a porkelicious dinner today since the hog is just around the corner from his hotel.

Daalin opted for the Bacon Pasta - it's Aglio Olio style. Very nice (especially if you like cili padi) with a generous amount of bacon (not so visible in the photo because most has sunk to the bottom).

We ordered a side of siew yoke. I couldn't quite make out what the dipping sauce was but it did go really well with the siew yoke.

Tropical Salad... this had a very nice tangy dressing.

I opted for the signature burger - 3 Little Pigs. Joseph wasted no time in swiping the bacon from my burger.

Joseph had bangers and mash. I had to eat up the caramelized onions and salad for him. Yummy.

Isabel played with french fries. She's currently eating small amounts - it doesn't take a lot to fill up her tank.

No visit to the Hungry Hog is complete without some keropork. That's right - keroPORK! It's fried pig skin! You dip it in the vinegar that comes with it. Good - but it has to be shared.

Ahh...my tummy is happy after a porky-licking-good dinner...

We had gelato for dessert at Patisfrance in USJ Taipan. Now it's off to bed with all that yummy in my tummy!

JKids @ Paradigm Mall

My kids love indoor gyms. Which kid doesn't?

Almost 3 months ago, we bought a multi-visit pass at JKids @ Tropicana City Mall. Since the pass expires in a few days, we brought the kids to check out the new branch at the new Paradigm Mall.

 Same entrance fees apply as the other branches in Tropicana City Mall and The Curve.

We got there early at 10am right when it opened and that was good because later on, it got really really crowded.

Isabel played for a short while and I guess it's sometimes good to be petite because she was not charged even though fees apply for babies 6 months onwards.

I carried her in the sarong sling and the JKids staff didn't even stop to ask how old she is. Good things come in small packages!

After 3 hours of jumping and running around, they obediently came out and we had a lunch at Sushi Zanmai - Soft Shell Crab Don is on promotion for only RM11.80 this week!

This branch at Paradigm Mall is bigger than the 2 sister outlets. It can cater to 3 parties simultaneously. In my humble opinion, Adventure Zone in Penang is still the best indoor gym around. Those slides are really unbeatable!!!

June at a glance

And just like that...2012 is half gone!

Nana, KongKong, Ah Ku, KimKim and Breanne were away in USA for 4 weeks. The house was unusually quiet and the electricity bill dropped by about RM30. We did some minor renovations, installing built-in cupboards in 3 rooms. Cleaning up after that was tough but Daalin and I managed that while taking care of 3 kids without extra help.

I cooked, cleaned, washed and worked 3 days in clinic. Isabel was a good baby and Joseph was a good helper and babysitter.

We went back to Seremban over the Father's Day weekend to celebrate Ah Kong's birthday and Father's Day.

It was a very nice dinner at a nice restaurant where Ah Kong booked a private dining room that had an attached bathroom and karaoke - atas enough for Joy! The kids had a really good time singing and dancing.

I dressed the girls in similar dresses made by Ah Mah.

17 June 2012 marked Daalin's 10th year anniversary with Monash. I brought the kids and balloons to office to surprise him. God is good. In the last 10 years, he has risen from a fresh postgrad to Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of School, with an excellent track record in teaching and research. I am so proud of him.

 

Most days Isabel likes to sleep like this. I should be thankful she's petite - only 7.2kg at almost 8 months. I cherish the moments but there's laundry to fold, food to cook, joseph's homework to check on and etc etc etc...

She's a very happy baby - hardly cries, even when she bumps her head.

Though she's deprived of my full attention, she benefits from the love of her older siblings.

...and she's got a peer for company and for fighting :-)

The rest of the year looks exciting... we've got trips planned..Leaders' Advance, my clinic holiday, our10th anniversary honeymoon, the boys' kelong trip, a Gan family reunion, Daalin's mission trip to Cambodia and not forgetting Isabel's first birthday!