San Francisco Coffee - Mo' Mocha and O.J. Did It
Blaine has a meeting in Ipoh this afternoon with a catfish/tilapia farmer, so he spent the morning at home - which means we had a coffee date over at San Francisco Coffee today. I went the cold route with a Mo' Mocha - AWESOME! And Blaine had some orange juice frappe...which was like a Dreamsicle in a cup!
I didn't blog yesterday as the day seemed to get away from me, so, I'll work to get you caught up today!
My car arrived on Tuesday! Woot! Woot! Give it up for having a vehicle!! Now, this car is much nicer than the car I will have. It's called a Proton Preve...no sure who manufactures it, don't really care. We're renting it until my Myvi arrives. (My Myvi will be new, but it will be tiny - which I'm really happy about because parking is crazy and the spots are very tiny and getting into the parking garages is like walking a tightrope with your car!) Anyways, here's my car:
Could not be happier to have a car!!!
Wednesday morning Trang took me to the wet market in T.T.D.I. I really should've taken photos...sorry about that! This is the market where Trang told me we can get pork, beef, shrimp, spices and produce for prices that are much better than the supermarket. Since I have never driven out to T.T.D.I. - she graciously offered to be my navigator. We left once the kids were at school and arrived to find the place already bustling with activity and having to patiently wait for a parking spot! But, patience won and we got our spot!
This is a picture of the outside of the market. (I found this online.)
Once inside, we went to the pork butcher where Trang's family buys their meat from...all sorts of cuts of pork - and good prices. (Yes kids, mommy can afford bacon if she buys it in T.T.D.I.!!) I got some bacon and pork shoulder (so we can make pulled pork sandwiches). I'm definitely sending Blaine back for the ribs!
The pork butcher is essentially in the basement of this building, so we headed upstairs to go to some of the other vendors. We went to see a woman who sells all sorts of spices - and the yummiest fried onions (like for casseroles and salads - but, think real fried onions - not those fake things in a can!) The vendor was very kind and also gave us each a package of curry spice to try. We hit the fruit stand - which had all sorts of fruits. I picked up another watermelon - because Grayson eats watermelon almost everyday - and he eats a TON of it! I also bought a small amount of cherries for Blaine - as they are still rather expensive, but he just loves them. (I don't even think he knows they are in the frig!) Trang picked up some asparagus and limes from another vendor (You need limes for margaritas, afterall!!) and then we headed back to Mont Kiara. She gave me a quick tour through Sri Hartamas and showed me a restaurant that they really like called SOULed Out - which we may try this weekend.
I then drove to Fitness First for a little time on the elliptical. (Mainly, I just wanted to drive my car!) I only turned on the windshield wipers once - not too shabby! As I said above, maneuvering down into the parking garage makes me nervous due to how narrow it is - but I made it. I put in a brief workout - as my quads were just on fire (and continue to be) from Crossfit. I picked up a few items at The Village Grocer and headed home.
Yesterday Blaine flew to Butterworth to visit a plant, so it was just me and the kiddos for dinner. Sometimes I just love those nights. No cooking - cereal for dinner - easy peasy.
Today was Day 2 of my on-ramp session at Crossfit Vidatha. Yeah, my quads were aching from Tuesday's workout, but I pushed through. It was a good workout!
Then it was coffee date with Blaine. Over at Publika they put up this art piece this week:
Yeah, I'm not sure what it's supposed to represent. Maybe it has something to do with the Malaysian Independence Day celebration - which is this weekend, on Saturday. Merdeka Day commemorates the independence of Malaysia from British colonial rule in 1957. (Yes, I looked that up!) Anyways, your interpretation is as good as mine!
After coffee we headed to B.I.G. so I could enroll in a few more cooking classes.They have some fabulous classes coming up! I'm so excited! I only was able to register for two today as they didn't have the registration forms ready for the others. Currently, I'm enrolled in "Tea Time Treats" - which will have me making: Vegan Coconut Cake, Gluten Free Banana Muffins, Rustic Carrot Cake, and Decadent Chocolate Brownies
And, I'm registered for "Scrumptious Dinner" on September 19th where we'll be making: Potato & Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Garlic Aioli , Apple Cider Chicken with Caramelized Shallots and Churros with Dark Chocolate.
Oooh, just heard from Christine (who runs the cooking classes) and registration will open tomorrow morning for the other three I want to take: Bread 101, Cook with Beer, and Italian Table.
So, I talk about B.I.G. a lot - mainly because it has a lot to offer. But, as I was over there this morning...I took some photos - so you can get a sense of what this market looks like:
This is near the entrance. They have an Italian theme going on right now featuring all sorts of Italian cheeses, olive oils, vinegars and other products.
A small portion of the gorgeous produce section.
There are several small restaurants located inside the store. The kids particularly like the pizza from this one - while I'm a fan of the quiche.
All sorts of yummy chocolates and other stuff.
My favorite part of B.I.G. - the bakery! The most delicious muffins, breads and pastries.
(I really try to stay away from here! Way too tempting for this carbaholic!)
There is a beautiful, although pricey, selection of wine, beers, and liquor.
(Kamal will continue to be our hookup for these such things!)
This is the non-halal section of the store where you can buy your pork products.
And a few more random photos from around the grocery store!
(I'm sure people were like "Really?! Has she never been in a grocery store before? Why the hell is she taking photos?")
So there you have a brief tour of B.I.G.! By the way, Christine from B.I.G. just called me and they need one more person to register for Tea Time Treats (Friday September 6) - so if any of my local friends are interested, please go register! Come on! Carrot Cake!!
This looks just like a store we went into in france, it seemed really overwheling at first but It had EVERYTHING you can image, I have been trying to tell family member about it but I think you cant explain it until you see it first hand!!! It looks very similar, I was just telling Derek the other night that I didnt realize you were in kuala lumpour (totally destroyed that), it is one of those places we have on our short list of must do destinations! So maybe I can convince him while you are still there, at least then we have someone who knows what they are doing! Im thinking if we were lost in france we are bound to be lost there! I am enjoying the pool pics, honeslty its been terribly hot here, schools have been out at 1all week due to the extreme heat. I think it reached 100 today but the humidity suprisenly has been low, dont get me wrong everyone's hair is a disaster but it could be ALOT worse!!!
ReplyDeleteYES! It totally reminds me of France! I loved seeing all of your pics...it brought back many memories of my visits there! And yes, please come visit! We would welcome any visitors! I don't know if we would know what we're doing - but, we'd certainly try to help you!
ReplyDeleteHow long was your flight? Are hotels decent in the area? My husband is game for anything, obviously you moved your family there but would it be a family friendly place to bring the kiddos along? I know they would get a long well with your clan!! 6 boys could be kinda crazy!! But Beer and Vodka can cure that, on another note can you get any american beers there? I missed that terribbly in france, we did stumble on an american bar near our hotel that had Bud (not to be mistaken with budweiser) but it tasted american and it was COLD, Im a coors light girl and when traveling with childre I find its much needed in the evenings!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, great hotels. There is a Hilton and a Westin...along with an Aloft. We stayed at the Hilton when we came to look at KL...and it's fabulous. We had a friend who just stayed at the Aloft and said it was less expensive than the Hilton - and she liked it there. As for American beer, Budweiser is the only thing I can find. You pay a bit for it, but when it's cold - it hits the spot. (I guess I do miss light beers!) Our flight was about 26 hours of actual flying time...long, but the kids handled it really well. And yes, I think your kids would be entertained...Patronas Towers, Batu Caves, the butterfly garden, there's a water park not too far away. There's an aquarium...shopping for knockoff goods in China Town...all sorts of stuff.
ReplyDeleteWell this may have to encourage me to start dropping a seed now!!! LOL our kiddos travel really well, was that no stop travel or did u have many layovers? Just out of curiosity what airline did u leave the us on? Also assuming their summers are the same time as ours, what the coolest time of year?
ReplyDeleteWell, we're right on the equator...so our weather is the same year round. A low of 78 degrees and a high of 90 degrees most days, very humid, and always a chance of a shower. It never changes. The first time we went Cedar Rapids to Chicago - Chicago to London - London to KL. When we moved here we came from Albany, NY to Detroit - Detroit to LAX - LAX to Taipei, Taiwan and Taiwan to KL. We flew Delta to Taiwan and then picked up another airline...can't remember now. Previously we were American to London and then flew Malaysia Air.
ReplyDeleteOne more question and im done, do u know if the hotels hace strict regulations on how many can be in one room, france only allows 2 no matter what even if its a newborn!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't honestly know the answer to that question.
ReplyDelete