Week 27: June 18 to 24

Last week of school for the semester for Lachlan and Danae. They both got fanatstic reports!!

On Monday Lachlan went to Kidzania for a school excursion and again had a great time there. I went to Chinatown to get some flowers.
Tuesday, I went to KLCC in the morning, then came home and tidied up for Mum and Dad's visit. In the evening I helped Lachlan with his assignment and Steve went to pick up mum and dad from the airport.
They arrived at Dua at about 9:30. Lachlan and Danae ended up staying awake to see them, they were very excited.

 Wednesday I took Mum and Dad for a walk around KLCC. We went to Suria, the Pavillion and a little around Bukit Bintang. We had char kwoy teow and popiah at the Pavillion for lunch.
Thursday we mostly stayed at home, Steve had a study day and had a lunch meeting with the American Defence Atache. We went into the High Comm for some admin stuff in the morning. We went to Las Carretas in Ampang for dinner.
Friday I took Mum and Dad to Ben's at KLCC for lunch and to the bank, then in the afternoon we went to pick up the kids from school on their last day, so Mum and Dad could see the school. We went for a swim when we got home, then ordered pizza.

Saturday was a great touristy day. We went to Batu Caves in the morning, then the Royal Selangor Factory tour in the afternoon. Batu Caves was fantastic! We had planned on going earlier in the year, but figured we may as well wait until we had visitors. It is several Hindu temples built in a huge cave on the side of a hill on the outskirts of KL. There are 270 steps up to the mouth of the cave, I am glad we went earlier and it was overcast! On the way out of Batu Danae and I got henna designs on our hands.
We then went to the Royal Selangor Factory and learnt all about the history of the Royal Selangor brand and about pewter making. We saw how some of the items are made, and all had a go at doing the hammered pattern.

On Sunday, Mum and I went to Midvalley Mall, the biggest mall in KL. Steve, Dad and the kids went to Antipodean for breakfast, then had a swim. In the evening we all went to Suzi's Corner for satay, steak and roti tissue.

Week 26: June 11 to 17

Firstly here are the photos from last weekend at Sunway Lagoon.

A much quieter week this week. Steve was in Jakata from Tuesday until Friday night.
Monday Steve had the day off and went to play golf in the afternoon.
Tuesday I took the kids to Ben's for dinner, then we saw the water and light show on the way home.
Lachlan had his athletics carnival on Thursday and came first in javelin for his age group.
On Friday Ryan had a sleep over, his mum and sisters came over in the evening for a swim and dinner. It ended up being a late night.
After a bit of a sleep in for everyone on Saturday, we had a quiet day and the boys played computer games and went swimming. In the evening the babysitter came and Steve and I went out for the evening together. We went and had a fabulous Thai massage, then went next door for some beautiful Vietnamese food and then a quick drink at a bar before we went home.
Sunday was also a quiet day, it was Father's Day here and we went out for breakfast.

week 25: June 4 to 10

It's been a busy week this week with lots going on, both good and not so good.
Monday I had a lunch to farewell the ADA's wife who is returning home and also to welcome the new one. After the kids got home, they had a quick swim then we went out to get Danae some new school shoes. None of the Clark's stores have any in stock, so we had to get a cheap pair that probably won't last the rest of the year, but at least she has some for school photos this week. Then we met Steve at the Pavillion for dinner. We ended up staying up late to watch the finale of Revenge, we are both hooked and loved the first season.
Tuesday I went with some ladies from lunch Mon to the SOHOM bazaar. It was organised by the group of spouses of all the heads of the embassies. There was lots of lovely jewellery, clothes and food from all different countries. In the evening Steve had a function to go to, so the kids and I went out to dinner with some people who's husbands/dads were also at the same function. We went to the food court at the Pavillion then went upstairs and saw the most amazing view of the city from Michelle's place.

Wednesday morning was horrible! Steve woke up with a huge fever and had had chills through the night. I got the kids off to school, gave him some neurofin and put him in a cool bath. Then I took him to the doctor, he could hardly walk. I was really scared it was dengue. When we got to see the doctor she ordered blood tests. After an hour waiting for the results he thankfully didn't have dengue and was prescribed some antibiotics. We came home and he rested, then we went to the school because it was middle school exhibition day. We just stayed for the music part and got to see Lachlan play the clarinet.
Thursday was quiet and Steve was given the day off to rest. Danae had her athletics carnival and did well. I am so happy with the school here and really pleased that they get to try all the events. She came first in her group for shot put and second for high jump and long jump. Lachlan had school photos today, Danae had hers yesterday.
Friday is housework day. I spend the morning tidying up and washing, then Lacksmi, the cleaner comes in the afternoon. Steve is usually home about the same time and we go out to lunch or to do errands. I like to keep out of Lacksmi's way, she is very efficient. But this week at about lunchtime I found out my Nan had passed away. Then Steve got home and was feeling tired, so he had a rest and I went out for a little bit to get a tea and have a walk.
In the afternoon the kids had a quick swim, then we went and watched the footy with Toni and Michael. Toni and I then went out for dinner with some ladies from the High Comm. It was a good night, we went to a French restaurant and had some amazing food, then out for cocktails and dancing.

Saturday we went to Sunway Lagoon, we had planned to go twice before, but something else came up then a few weeks ago we were about to go and then made plans with some other families to go this weekend. It was a good day, the weather was perfect and although the theme parks here are not as good as the ones on the Gold Coast, the kids had a great time. I don't have any photos from Sunway, but hopefully will be getting some soon.
Saturday night we went out to our favourite Mexican restaurant with the same families that came to Sunway. It was a great night and by the end of the night the kids were having bartender lessons and making our margaritas. lol That would so not happen in Australia!
Sunday was wind down day after such a huge week. Steve did some study in the morning and evening, we all went out and everyone but me got haircuts. Danae was a last minute decision so she got her hair washed too. Then we came home and had a swim.

Week 24: May 28 to June 3

It was a quieter week this week.

Lachlan played golf on a course for ASA this week, and had to dress in long pants and collared tshirt. Wednesday was the school walkathon to riase money for a school in Sabah, both Lachlan and Danae participated and they raised RM300 and RM 240 (thanks to those who sponsored them).
Friday night Steve and I had a function to go to, a dining out at Istana Hotel. It was a long night, but not too bad.
Saturday morning we went down to the school for Danae to try Netta Netball. They had a tryout morning to see if anyone liked it and wanted to do it for ASA next semester. Danae had a great time and really loved it, she also scored a goal! There were some other families we know there too.
Sunday we went to Bangsar to have brunch, pick up a few groceries and find new school shoes for Danae. Then we spent the early evening by the pool.

 
Other than a few meals out, we didn't really do much else. Speaking of food, it must be time for another little info section and I thought since it's such a huge part of the culture here I would talk a bit about the food here.

The Malay word for food is makan, and the variety and cost of food here is something that makes Malaysia such a special place. We eat out probably twice a week for dinner and another twice for breakfast or lunch. We probably eat more Western food, and by Western I mean the type of food you would see in almost any big city, including Japanese, Italian, American, German. I would say there is more choice here than Sydney, just for 'Western' food. The average we would spend on a Western meal out is around RM100 ($30) or RM150 with a beer and cocktail (wine is pretty expensive here, and a glass of wine costs about the same as a cocktail).

nasi lemak; char kwoy teow; carrot cake; chicken rice; roti canai; roti tissu; satay; cendol; kuih.

 But I wanted to talk mostly about Malay food. Like the population, the food is a mix of Chinese, Indian and Malay. There are hawker stalls everywhere selling all kinds of dishes. Some of the most popular dishes are:

Nasi Lemak, this is probably Malaysia's national dish. Nasi is rice and lemak means fat, so nasi lemak is 'fatty rice' because it is traditionally cooked in coconut milk. The rice is served with a mid-level spicy sambal, dried anchovies, roasted peanuts, a wedge of hard boiled egg and some cucumber. It is usually eaten on its own for breakfast or a snack but can also be served with some meat (quite often fried chicken or beef rendang) for luch or dinner. It is sold in the streets wrapped in coconut leaves. A nasi lemak costs about RM1.50 (50 cents) hawker style, or up to 4 or 5 ringgit in a food court served with chicken or beef.

Char Kwoy Teow, is a Chinese dish similar to Pad Thai but with a darker, less sweet soy-type sauce. It is one of Danae and my favourites. A plate of Char Kwoy Teow costs about RM6 ($2)

Another favorite of mine that we have just discovered is 'fried carrot cake'. Despite sounding like a dessert, it is acually savoury and even more weird is that it has no carrot in it! It is kind of similar to char kwoy teow, but instead of noodles it has cubes of a 'cake' made with daikon raddish (which has the same chinese name as carrot) and rice flour. These cubes are stir friend till nice and charry, then they add omelette, spring onions, bean sprouts and soy sauce.

Chicken rice is also a favourite and usually ordered by one or both of the kids, or me if I can't decide what else to have. Chicken rice is rice, with steamed or roasted chicken served with a bowl of clear chicken soup. It also costs about RM6.

Various types of roti are popular here, reflecting the Indian culture. The most popular is roti canai, nice crispy, flakey roti with three different type os sauce for dipping. One of my favourites is roti tissu, a paper thin crispy roti served as an upside down cone shape with condensed milk poured over. There are quite a few other sweet variations (Lachlan tried milo and banana for breakfast in Penang)

Satay is also something we like here, though we don't order it often. You dont see it as much in food courts, more in restaurants as an apetizer or at street stalls. A satay stick will cost 30 to 50 cen each.

Desserts are probably some of the most unique dishes. Two of the most popular are Ice Kacang (or ABC) and Cendol (chendol), both are made with shaved ice and variuos toppings. We have tried cendol in Melaka, but I don't think I can come at ice kacang.
Ice kacang is shaved ice topped with red beans, corn, cubes of grass jelly, condensed milk and rose flavored syrup. There are lots of variations.

Cendol is usually shaved ice topped with little worm shaped noodles made from rice flour and pandan, coconut milk and liquid palm sugar. Quite often it has red beans, the one we had in Melaka had red beans on the bottom, so we all just left them because none of us like them at all! The rest of it was nice, we all enjoyed it especially during a hot day.A bowl of cendol costs about 3 ringgit ($1)

Kuih are little sweets of any kind. There are many different types, but the common ingredients are rice flour, coconut, pandan, fruits like durian or mango, palm sugar, agar agar. My favorites are little chewy pandan flavoured rice flour balls filled with liquid palm sugar and rolled in coconut. They are kind of like mochi and are called onde-onde. They are similar to the balls in the photo above. The other one in the photo is fresh grated coconut mixed with palm sugar and wrapped in pandan or banana leaf, I'm not sure of the name of that one.

Week 23: May 21 to 27

Another fun week in KL this week.

Tuesday I went to a luncheon to welcome the wife of the new DA, who arrived on the weekend. Then I went shopping for a new pair of swimmers.

Wednesday I was going to go to Chinatown, but ended up going to get a pedicure with Toni instead.

Thursday, Steve was home by 11 so we went and had lunch, then we went down to the school for Junior school Open Day afternoon. Where we spent the afternoon in Danae's classroom. She finished her 'mini beast' and then had to explain what is was, what she used to make it, and what its defence mechanisms were. After school we had a parent teacher interview with Lachlan's teacher. When he found out Steve was a meteorologist, he asked him if he could come into the class to speak in a few weeks, because they studied weather last term.

Friday, Steve was also home a bit early so we went out for lunch, then went looking for birthday presents for a party the kids were going to on Saturday. I had wanted to go to Chinatown in the morning, but tidied up the apartment instead. Then we came home and as Lachlan and Danae got off the bus we rushed off to take Lachlan to the dentist. He has a wobbly tooth and the permanant one is coming through his gum kind of crooked, so I wanted to get it checked out. The dentist said to give it another month, and if it hasn't come out he will need to go back and get it pulled out. Poor thing was in tears, and now wants to eat a lot of apples. We finally found presents, then came home and had a quick swim. We came upstairs for dinner, then had Toni and Michael over for a drink.
Saturday was even busier than Friday. In the morning I did some cooking for later that night. At 11 we went downstairs for the birthday party for the two New Zealand girls, Lucy and Caitlin. Then we came back up to cool down, and do some more cooking. At 4 we went to watch the Adelaide Collingwood game with most of the other High Comm people and met the new DA. We could only stay a while as we had to come back for a bbq we had planned with our new Aussie friends. They had some visitors staying and it was a great night, and a very late night.

Sunday was a quiet day, we all slept in. After breakfast Steve and the kids went for a swim, while I went back to bed with a headache. After lunch Steve did some study, and we all kind of did our own thing. Then we went out for dinner and had some cheap, local food. On the way home, we saw a water and light show in KLCC park. It was really good, we are not sure if it will be a regular thing now. Here is someones youtube video that I found:

I was going to talk a bit about Malaysian food, as it's such a big part of the culture here, but I might save it for another time. I think I've said enough for today. Have a great week!

Week 22: May 14 to 20

We have been here 5 months now! It is getting to the stage where things I was taking photos of and writing about at first are becoming everyday kind of things, like swimming, going out for lunch and dinner and shopping at the many malls. So I thought as well as a quick rundown of anything new or exciting in our week, I would write a bit about life in Malaysia. This week I will talk about language.
English is widely spoken here and it's easy to get away with knowing no, or very little Bahasa. However sometimes little things like ordering a pizza over the phone, or rescheduling an appointment can feel like an ordeal. As most of you know Steve did a language course before we came. When we first got here and he used Bahasa a bit, people would have a little laugh and he wasn't sure if they were laughing at him. We have since learnt that they are just surprised and happy that he knows some Bahasa. The kids both do Bahasa at school and are picking it up quite well. However, even for Steve there is a big difference between knowing the words and following a conversation, especially with the speed they speak and the fact that they use a lot of slang and shortened words.
I am the one in our family who knows the least, but some of the words and phrases I have picket up include:
Terima kasih (thank you) which will be answered with sama sama (you're welcome)
Numbers 1 to 10: satu, dua, tiga, empat, lima, enam, tujuh, lapan, sembilan, sepuluh.
Tandas (toilets)
Lelaki (man)
Perempuan (lady)
Tidak (no)
Sedikit saja (a little bit) - Steve says this one a bit when people ask him if he speaks Bahasa
Suda makan (already eaten)
Most road signs are in Bahasa or both Bahasa and English, so we learnt berhenti (stop), awas (beware), keluar (exit), masuk (enter) pretty quick.
A lot of words have no Bahasa eqivalent, so they use the English word, but spell it how they think it sounds Teksi is taxi, and they pronounce 'c' as 'ch' and 'k' as 'c' so chocolate is spelt cokolat. 

This week was assessment week at school for Lachlan. He had a test for every subject, but has his clarinet assessment next week and golf assessment the week after.
Thursday night Steve and I went to a beer festival. It was on all weekend, but Steve won tickets just for the Thursday night. It was ok, they had a good band that played 80s music. We met a really nice British couple and spent most of the night talking to them.
Friday I went to the High Comm for a security brief (there was an expat boy recently abducted on his way to school and held for ransom in KL) and morning tea.
Friday night we had drinks and pizza by the pool with Mel and her husband. It is a shame they are leaving soon, they are lovely people. We organised a barbecue for next weekend with them.
The weekend was pretty quiet. We had to get booster shots on Saturday morning, then Lachlan went to Ryans after lunch for a sleepover birthday party. He did rock-climbing on Saturday afternoon and they went to watch the Avengers on Sunday. Steve, Danae and I went out for lunch Sunday, then took Danae to get her nails done.

We are getting excited about Mum and Dad coming, it is less than a month now. We are really looking forward to having visitors to show around. Any of our friends and family are welcome to come and stay, I got an email from airasia, Asia's budget airline and flights from Sydney are as low as $200 each way.

I am sorry for the lack of photos this week. I will try to take more next week.

Week 21: May 7 to 13

Happy Mother's Day for yesterday, especially to Mum, Robyn and Liz. This photo was from last week, but I didn't put it in. The kids wrote me a Mother's Day message and put it on the mother's tree at a store when we were at Midvalley Mall.

 Things got a little more back to normal this week. Steve had his last exam and last 2 assignments due on Monday.
We went out twice for dinner this week, once to the Japanese restaurant here at Dua ( I am surprised it took us this long to try it) and to the German place for schnitzel.

The kids are back into school routine and getting ready for their athletics carnival. They have been practicing in sport and PE and apparently Danae did really well at high jump.

super moon; Danae's outfit (with bed hair); Mother's Day presents; Wendy, Mel and Cathy @Dish; dinner at Kiroshima on tuesday.

 Steve had Friday off, but didn't find out until Wednesday so it was too late to go anywhere. So we went out to Damansara and had a look around the Curve, then went to a brewhouse (that Steve has been wanting to go to for a while) and had lunch and tried some beers. Then we went to IKEA, that was were we parked the car and if you buy something there you get free parking (well that was my excuse anyway!). Then on the way home we went to Lasting Impressions warehouse, they have some really beautiful restored antique Chinese furniture.
When we got home Lacksmi, the lady who does our cleaning, had left an Indian style outfit that her daughter had made for Danae (she asked me last week for her measurements). So sweet!
Friday night we had some drinks by the pool with a few people that we know from Dua and the NZers. I was invited out the next night to a degustation and wine pairing at the steakhouse here at Dua.

Saturday we went shopping around Bukit Bintang because I had a store voucher that needed using before it expired and I wanted to show Steve a sports store I had seen the week before when I was on my own. Here is a run down of what we bought; Diadora thongs for Lachlan ($6); thongs and a running top for Steve ($17); football boots for Lachlan ($8); a pair of sandals for me ($8); swimmers for Danae (would have been $20, but I used my vouchers and only had to pay the remaining $3) and we had Japanese for lunch ($30). I love this place!

Saturday night was fantastic, I went out with Mel (another Aussie, whos daughter goes to school with Lachlan and Danae, but they are moving soon to Dubai), Lachlan's friend Eve's mum (they moved from Dua last week, but are still in KL) and Lachlan's best friend Ryan's mum, Cathy. It was kind of an introduction for the new chef here.

 Mother's Day was lovely, after a bit of a sleep in and a slight hangover, we went to Publika for brunch at Plan B, then some cute handmade markets, some grocery shopping and home for a swim in the afternoon. I was very spoilt with gifts.