Bring along a sunny disposition...and an umbrella

Now, where was I?
Oh yes, food and Legoland.

Awesome food in unexpected places.

So, still a little on the hotel - I think we should have done waaay more reading when picking the hotel. Too late to eat at JB City Square (because it was already past 9pm when we were ready to head out for dinner), and too tired to go anywhere further, we walked around the area surrounding the hotel looking for food. 

It was also the sort of area where GM insisted I not bring along my handbag. Which contained my camera.

So when we finally stumbled upon this dirty back alley somewhere around the hotel that was just lined with food stalls, I did not have my camera handy.

And also I was pretty busy trying to avoid puddles, and keeping an eye out for rodents and other miscellaneous creaturs, which I just knew would be there.

Not very convinced, but really too tired to care, we all decided to give this place a go.

So here are my not very awesome iPhone photos:

From the top row: our boys doing the ordering while Doris and I got settled into our seats at our table, and I figured out how I'd position my seat so I avoid this constant drip of water that was coming from above, somewhere.

Middle row: Food that honestly didn't look like much. When it comes to ikan panggang, all you see is food drenched in oily, and oh so yummy sauce.

I'll let the last row speak for itself. Burp.

Now, the funnest place on earth.

Okay, I exaggerate.

Before the trip, lots of my colleagues were warning me that Legoland is going to be really hot, with little shade. And there also wouldn't be all that much to do. 

All kind of true. But as luck would have it, and as seen in the above pic, it was a pretty cloudy day when we got there. With few rides, and most of them being more suitable for kids, or adults with kids, I pretty much only went on one which was the dragon one. 

If you're one of those need-this-rush-to-feel-alive types, this probably won't do it for you. 

Be prepared to walk. A lot. And keep your eyes peeled.

What is awesome about the place, though, are all the little quirky details that you can just walk around and take in.

Like this fella over here, seen through the window on the way to the dragon ride.

Or these workmen "putting up" the signboards around the park.

And also pirate ships with a big red button just outside the display for you to fire the water canons on the ship at your pals.

Use with discretion - the water fires at approximately adult crotch level (perhaps that's only if you're as short as I am). And will most likely elicit a reflex WTF from your victim, who will feel sheepish after, given the number of kids around.

Other randomly cute things:

I could handle this. I think.

I also thought it was great how organized and child- & family-friendly the place was, what with all the stroller parking areas, and very, and I mean very pleasant staff. 

When it rained over lunchtime, which meant all the cafes were utter pandemonium, all of their staff remained really professional, and were really quick with all the clearing up, setting up extra chairs, rearranging tables to seat more groups etc. etc. I did not expect this at all from anywhere in Malaysia (don't get me started on my rants about customer service) and was really impressed!

By the time we were done with our surpirsingly good seafood tom yam pasta, there was also a balloon artist by the door, keeping all the kids happy campers. No wonder the sound of screaming children (one of my least favourite things in the world) was really quite negligible considering the number of kids there. 

Our next stop after lunch was the City Stage - simply because there still wasn't much we could do while it was still raining. 

When we went inside, I immediately wanted to run away. There's something about those interactive shows that get kids to volunteer, come up on stage, and dance around to annoyingly un-childlike music (in this case it was them trying to teach kids to do the Gangnam style dance, to the sound of Gentleman, ick) that just makes me cringe - even when I was the appropriate age to be one of the kid volunteers. 

So I stood by the entrance, willing the rain to stop, hoping to make a mad dash out of there. 

But damned their super efficient and organized staff, who can very politely but so firmly tell you to go sit down and stop blocking the stroller parking area. 

So we sat down, and my first very cynical thoughts were "So this is what happens to out of work dancers, beatboxers and DJs."

But okay, they were pretty good.

And of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without having bought something.

Presenting.....

my super cute Lego key light.

and my super awesome Stormtrooper! 

Note to self: bring own towel

Sometimes you just a change of pace.

Sometimes you just need to reconnect with the people you used to be a kid with to be kids again. 

Sometimes you're so badly in need of both, you wish you could blow off work on Friday and leave for vacation one day early. 

Or maybe that's just me. 

Travel with people you actually like.

That way the long wait at the airport actually feels like fun; no mobile games, books or magazines required. 

They'll also be the ones who order for you while you arrive fashionably late, just because you want something off the breakfast menu and won't make it in time before they change to the regular menu. And also not call you a diva when you walk back to Starbucks to get your coffee just because you insist McDonald's coffee makes your heart race.

Be secretly happy when the shopping isn't all that great - you're definitely not going to budget.

First stop: Johor Premium Outlets.

It was our first time there, but most of us have heard enough not to expect anything too amazing. And we were, as expected, not particularly wowed.

I went hoping to get myself a new pair of shoes for the gym, but no such luck. Both the Nike and Adidas stores seemed to have more clothes than shoes. Got quite excited at Nike for a second - my favourite designs of sports bras and shorts were on sale - but of course, they were not available in my size. 

So, what were the pretty amazing deals we found at JPO? The deals on things I have absolutely no use for at the moment, of course. And one of them would come in the form of RM 100 for two super cute La Senza sets that would otherwise cost above RM 200 each (according to the store assistant, at least).

So, haul for the day: two super cute knickers from Victoria's Secret and a pair of cute peach-coloured jeans from Gap.

All the while, the boys were so sweet - no complaining whatsoever while the two of us shopped all afternoon. Or maybe it's because they got to hang out and talk about whatever it is they talk about when we girls aren't around. 

Bring your own towel. 

None of us really had much time to do much research for this trip. We just bought the flight tickets and that was that. So as the date of the trip drew nearer, a compromise between number of stars, our budgets and availability had to be made.

We ended up with Citrus Hotel in JB - ranked 13 of 73 hotels in JB on Trip Advisor, with 3.5 stars (4 stars on some travel review platforms). 

Perhaps we should have done more reading, and probably kept in mind that all these travel sites don't really award stars in a standardized manner, because four stars my little tushie. 

Don't get me wrong, they have all the basics - staff were pleasant, beds were comfy, bathrooms are in perfect working order, and food is decent. So here's the rest of it:

About a week before we went on the trip, GM did some research because he was borrowing a colleague's MPV to fit the six of us comfortably during the trip. That was when we found out this hotel does not have its own parking. So be prepared to park along the street, if you can find any lots there, or in JB City Square, which was what we opted for. 

So for RM 198 a night, you get no assurance that you'll get exactly the kind of room you booked, or that all your rooms will be nearby. However, the upside is if you've booked the smallest kind of room, this means you'll likely get bumped up into a bigger, better room if they run out of the kind of room you booked. 

I ended up with the family room, which comes with a double bed and a single bed. And lots of empty floor space because there's no other furniture aside from the beds, a little table with your basic coffee-making needs, and a chair. Oh, and a TV mounted on the wall. The walls are pretty thin so don't expect to get away with laughing and cheering over drinking games - we got ourselves an angry shout from one of the neighbouring rooms.

So, to my upgraded room we go. The place has two lifts: a tiny one that just fits the six of us and our bags, with no wiggle room; and an even tinier one which just fits Jeff, our luggage, me and my claustrophobia.

It's also another one of those hotels that have bathroom doors that don't lock - like completely doesn't have a lock. What is with that? Seriously, is it so expensive to install a door that at least latches from the inside?

Jeff pretty much freaked out that I didn't bring my own towel, while I nonchalantly said that all hotels have towels, it'll be fine.

It wasn't.

First one I unfolded had stains on it. 

Second and third ones were fine, although not quite as white as they should be. They also use that commercial detergent or softener that what seems like all cheap hotels use that smells like...er...some other liquid of similar consistency to softener.

Okay, tired. More on food and Legoland in my next post. 

Keys To The New House

It's official....got the keys to the new house just last week!!

And now the fun begins. Having decided to plan, design and decorate the house ourselves without getting an interior decorator, the hubby has already dubbed it our 'Mega Project' of the century and I foresee a lot of hard work ahead for us. It will mean having to work with the contractor ourselves and decide on every detail of the house, the design, fixtures, electrical wiring, lighting, paint colour and we'll have to pick out every home appliance, every piece of furniture, curtains, etc.

I'm all excited yet terrified at the same time. Whatever the outcome, we'll literally have to live with it for the rest of our lives (well at least for a very, very, very long time to come).

Where to start?

Quote of the Month: September 2013

Because we all need a little space sometimes.