Our Quick Weekend Rendezvous in KL

Kevin had to be in KL for work last week (for about a week), as he has numerous projects and papers due this month. He left for KL on May 14, 2015 and then tells me the next day that he already misses his little girl and needs to see and be with her, even if it's just for a while, so that he can get through the rest of his trip. Video skype does not count here as a pengubat rindu. 

Now, when daddy misses his little girl, and he is already sick as it is with fever, cough and flu all mix together, mommy has to make things happen and find a solution. And mommy knows very well that once he sees his little girl and holds her, he will feel much better.

Problem is that mommy is currently 27 weeks pregnant with a growing belly and won't be able to handle "flying" with our soon-to-be 2 year old alone. Hence, mommy had to drag her mommy to tag along on this trip for safety reasons. The decision was made instantaneously, flight tickets booked and off we went on the evening of Friday, May 15 to KL, after I got off work.

We arrived at the hotel at 10.00pm that evening and even then, Kevin was still tied up at the office. He had dinner awaiting us in the room and Keira's Hi-5 program fixed and ready to be played. So, we made ourselves at home in the hotel room until he returned. 

Thankfully, he took a suite on the 21st floor at Traders KLCC, so we had ample space for three adults and a toddler, and more importantly, lots of room for the little one to run about and explore in the room.

Unfortunately for Kevin, during the 3 days/3 nights we were there, he only had like 2 hours of quality time to spend with his little girl all together.

Most of the other time Kevin was either out at work or glued to his laptop at the working table in the hotel room, or we were out exploring, or fast asleep (while he worked). It was more convenient for him to sleep on the couch in the other room so that he can also focus on his work and get some rest when he needed a break for his medication etc. So, the big bed was contracted to Keira, my mom and myself.

His work schedule did not stop us from making the most of the weekend stay so off we went every opportunity we had.

Keira loves the water so I always make it a point to take her for dip at every hotel we stay at. The pool here was located on the 33rd floor, and it was our first time there. Although it does not have a baby pool for her, it did not stop her from wanting to jump in to the water and hang on to mommy and "adik" while mommy swims laps.

And of course she enjoys her bath in the tub too! Oh, guess what? We discovered an awesome new trick - feed her medication while she is bathing in the tub and she won't spill any. Her water playing activity will distract her that she will gulp down every single drop. Boy, did we put that new discovery to good use every opportunity we had.

We stayed in a suite on the 21st floor, so we definitely have direct access to the Club Lounge located on the 32nd floor, serving continuous flow of food for breakfast, tea and cocktails. Yeah, baby - jemput makan! :)

Aside from enjoying the excellent hotel facilities and spending money shopping at KLCC, we also set some time aside to visit relatives in KL including my grand aunty, Tok Lala and cousin & abang bela, Shuriana & Ebi.

I really wish we had more time to meet with other family members and close friends, but because Keira was feeling under the weather too, we were not able to cover everyone and had to make more time for her to sleep and rest before we headed back to Penang on May 18, 2015. Rain check, ok? Next time, my darlings! :) 

All in all, Keira, my mom and I had such a blast - sickness aside. Oh daddy, when's your next work trip to KL again? Nak tumpang bilik lagi! :)

Visiting Shuriana & Ebi in KL

I have another confession to make! I have not visited my cousin Shuriana and my abang bela Ebi in about 14 years. Sure, we met on and off in Penang and KL on occasions, but I never really had the opportunity to visit them at their place... The last I visited them was when their first born was a couple of months old, when I was back from university break. That time they were living in a three-bedroom apartment, with a newborn baby. They have moved from apartments to bungalows ever since with two teenagers of their own. 

I made it a point to visit them at home earlier today over this short trip to KL, since I was in town with my mom and daughter and had time to spare while Kevin was busy at work.

To my surprise, I also met an old friend Elisha (whom I know from her days as a KDU Penang student) and her husband at their home. What a small world! And of all things, Elisha is also expecting her second baby so the visit was more of a bonus bump to our bellies :) She is due in July and I'm due in August.

After lunch, we followed them to see the showroom of their new 3-storey place. Of course it was Keira who made herself right at home, exploring every level and room from the moment we stepped in.

 

Keira Visits Her Other Dadima in KL

Tok Lala (her actually name is Latipah Bee, but everyone calls her Lala for short) is my late grandmother's younger sister. She resides in Kampung Cheras Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

I have a confession to make... I have not visited her home in over 20 years. I think the last time I was here was during one of her children's wedding that that seemed like a lifetime ago and I was only in my early teens. 

So when the opportunity came that my mom, daughter and I were in KL while my hubby was busy with work, we grabbed the chance to take a taxi over to Cheras from our hotel at Traders KLCC to pay her a "surprise" visit earlier today (May 16, 2015), on this part sunny-part rainy Saturday afternoon.

Amazingly, I could still recognize her house as the taxi approached it as it still looked the same as I recalled it, for what seemed like a gazillion years ago.

Our visit provided Keira the opportunity to also bond with the family. 

Their neighborhood has tons of cats in the neighborhood, so she was in meow-heaven during the 2-hour visit counting cats and playing with her new partners in crime, Intan and Fadillah, and completely forgot her rule of thumb - to stick close to mommy when in a strange new place.

Of course, the courteous little munchkin that she is, she gave Tok Lala (or Dadima, to her) a butterfly kiss for her kind hospitality before we left. Such a precious moment! :)

Intan and Fadillah insisted on dropping us back to the hotel, which also gave them additional fun time with their new best friend, Keira.

Kevin was of course busy with work when we got back to the room, so we went ahead with the gals and took the buggy to KL for dinner, walk-about and shopping at Suria KLCC. And what fun we had! :)