Onitsuka for Daddy

This is a continuation of my last post.

After our very energetic workout at Jumpstreet Asia, our rumbling tummies begged for food and so I drove everyone to the nearest decent mall I could find - Tropicana City Mall. Aiden being the typical anak Melayu, wanted rice for our late lunch/early dinner so we headed to Papparich. Ian was fed too, he absolutely loved the roti bakar kaya - another anak Melayu in the making, perhaps?

As we were walking back to the parking lot, a shop caught my eye! From the corner of my eye, the shopaholic in me saw the signs "factory outlet" and "sale"! I was even more excited when I saw that the shop was selling authentic Onitsuka Tiger shoes at 30% off!

I knew that Hubby had been eyeing for Onitsuka shoes for the longest time, but he never took the plunge of buying it. Since I was in my shopaholic mood that day, I decided to surprise him with a pair. Just because!

There were so many colours with multiple choices of stripes to choose from. But with limited sizes, of course. In the end, we were down to green with yellow stripes or the famous white with blue and red stripes. Finally, we settled with white, and I told the shopkeeper that since this is a surprise present, we may have to come again to change sizes - in case the one I purchased didn't fit Hubby.

The one we chose.

The shortlisted choices.

Paying for the shoes, with Mummy's debit card!

Writing a card for Daddy.

After the purchase, we proceeded to our next shopping mall *true shopaholic* - One Utama. On the way there, I asked Aiden to call his Daddy to tell him about his surprise present. Imagine my surprise when he playfully told Aiden that he preferred the yellow or even the green??!! Uurrrggghhhh I hate it when he teases me this way, because it always makes me doubt my choice. So I called the shop again and told them to reserve the yellow (which was only available in size 11!), the green and also the white we originally bought, but in a different size. Called Hubby and told him to meet us at Tropicana directly after work. So much for a surprise, lah kan??!!

Free cotton candy at the One Utama main lobby.

Posing with the Energizer mascot.

Close to the promised time, I drove everyone back to Tropicana. Aiden asked me why we were heading back to the shop, so I explained that we were going to let Daddy choose the shoe that he wanted. To which he exclaimed emotionally, "But then it wouldn't be a surprise! Mummy!!!!" Erkkk... *sigh*

I didn't really know what to say so I tried to reassure him by saying that we were going back to the shop to choose three different shoe colours as a surprise for Daddy, then Daddy will choose which will fit his feet best. (That was the best excuse I could make up, off the top of my head.) He calmed down a bit, then exclaimed "But if Daddy gets there first before we choose the colours, then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore!" Erk... again. Clueless of what to do next, I asked him to pray so that we would arrive first:

Aiden: "Ya Allah... ermmmm Mummy how do I pray for us to arrive first?"
Me: "Just pray that Daddy will not get there before us."
Aiden: "Ya Allah... please make Daddy not arrive there before us." (Excuse his grammar!)
Me: *smile*
Aiden: "But the other day I prayed for Aunty Awien to come and sleepover at our house, but she didn't! Allah didn't listen to my prayers! So how?"
Me: *nervous laugh* "You have to pray hard Aiden. Really really hard."

And I really thought that was the end of the conversation. Until I overheard Aiden whispering silently to himself. I strained my ear... and guess what I heard?

Aiden: "Ya Allah... please please please, please make Daddy not arrive there before us. Please Allah... thank you."

Aaaaahhhh my heart sank for him. He really wanted this to be a surprise for his Daddy, and I totally ruined it. So I quickly called Hubby, told him about what I heard and instructed him not to enter the shop at any cost! Let Aiden arrive first, choose the colours then surprise Hubby. Moved with my story, he immediately agreed.

And in the end, my plan worked. Aiden brightened up when we walked into the shop and discovered that Daddy hadn't arrived. He yelled "Surprise!" when his Daddy walked in, and shoved all three shoe boxes and a card into Daddy's arms excitedly.

Hubby then teased me, "Wow, Sayang - all three colours for me?" To which I replied by giving him a dirty look!

Look at that excited grin!

In the end, despite the three choices we gave him, he still ended up with the white with blue and red stripes, the one we chose for him earlier, albeit in a different size. Soooo frustrating!

But... karma didn't disappoint that night, because Hubby was punished on the spot for making me doubt my choice and causing so much grief to Aiden. Ian peed on Hubby in the shop! It was hilarious!!! Serves him right! *cheeky smile*

Hubby, next time when someone wants to give you a surprise present, just say thank you and take it, okay? *grin*

Toning My Thighs at Jumpstreet Asia

Jumpstreet Asia - Malaysia's first trampoline park!

Yesterday marked the start of my 12 day end year break - something I definitely look forward to every December. However, staying home with the kids is an absolute challenge, because they are constantly asking for your attention. Which is completely bearable the first five hours, but after the sixth hour, I succumbed and dragged everyone (maid included) out for some jumping to release that pent up energy of theirs!

Jumpstreet Asia is Malaysia's first and Asia's biggest indoor trampoline park. It is located in a renovated warehouse in Petaling Jaya (just beside Jaya One), with an area of 37,000 sqft and has 8 attraction areas (pictures below). You actually have to drive through a factory entrance to get to location. Thank god for Waze!

I strongly advise you to book your slot online as only a maximum of 150 jumpers are allowed per session. I chose the 3pm slot because it only had a 40% occupancy (at time of booking). Off-peak hours are charged at RM20 per hour, toddlers to adult alike (RM25 for peak hours), and everyone jumping will have to purchase grip socks (RM4.50 each) which you can reuse during your next visit. I checked whether the maid and Ian would need tickets, but the very informative FAQ explained that they didn't need any as long as they did not enter the trampoline courts. However, kids under 3 jump for free so I could bring Ian on the trampoline if I wanted to. Hence, total damage for Aiden and me was RM49 via online booking. 

When we arrived, it was just starting to drizzle but thankfully I found parking in no time. However, parking slots are limited so I doubt I'll be as lucky next time around. Even though the website advised for us to arrive 15mins before our scheduled slot, due to the rain, we arrived on the dot at 3pm. Which was a pity because if we arrived early we could have checked in early and maximized our hour greatly.

The entrance.

Birds eye view. Picture taken from the Jump Cafe.

Since I had pre-purchased our slots online, I was able to bypass the walk-in queue. Showed them the barcode in the confirmation email, and I promptly received our jump passes and grip socks. However, I was told that even though I would be jumping with Ian in hand, he would still need his own grip socks so I topped up an additional RM4.50 for a pair of cute mini grip socks for Ian!

Thumbs up for the friendly staff behind the check-in counter.

Cool graffiti on the wall and even on the floor!

Lockers can be rented for a minimum of two hours (RM4, multiple open/close), up to a full day. There is also a Surau available.

You can also organize birthday parties here! Party packages available.

First stop, we warmed up at The Cage -  a jumping court strictly for kids. Aiden was raring to go so he raced ahead of me - jumping confidently like a pro! I was quite hesitant to jump at first, but the minute I took my first leap - I was hooked! It was super fun, and soon it had me jumping for joy (pun intended)! After a while, I realised that I was the only adult jumping in the kids court so I stopped myself from further embarrassment and exited the area quickly to hunt for my camera, so I could pretend that I was jumping with Aiden for pictures!

It took quite a bit of coaxing to get Aiden to stop and pose for pictures.

He wouldn't stop moving - hence the blurry pictures.

The width of The Cage.

After I was satisfied that Aiden was able to jump independently, I left him with the other kids (neighbours who joined us that day) and returned to my maid, who was refueling Ian with milk. Distracted with the sights and sounds around him, it took him quite a while to finish the bottle - but once he was done, he immediately wanted to get on his own two feet to explore.

Baby jumper - equipped with his own hand band jump pass and cute mini grip socks.

Aiyoooo... such cute socks!

My hair was still tame here. If you scroll further below, you will see the aftermath!

Next, we returned to The Cage. This time around, since I had Ian in hand, I jumped more confidently than ever because I could use Ian as my sorry excuse! People looking at me would think "Aaahhh... she's jumping in the kids court because she's holding a baby..." or "Ooooo... her jumping moves look weird because she has her baby in hand..." *grin* 

After a while, I could feel my arms and thighs getting sore. Why arms? Because holding a 10kg baby in one hand while jumping is no easy thing, okay! I read somewhere that jumping on the trampoline is 68% more efficient than jogging - so I persevered in the hopes of burning the calories from the nasi lemak I had that morning. That, and also because Ian was squealing and giggling away from all the jumping. Aaahhh the things mommies do to please their children!

How I jumped that day, with Ian in hand!

Note: The second time we visited Jumpstreet, at least two Jumpstreet referees stopped Hubby and I (separately) to remind us not to jump with Ian in hand, but rather to put Ian standing on the trampoline and lightly jump with him. Apparently jumping with a baby in hand is similar to the "shaken baby syndrome", where babies may sustain serious injuries if bounced vigorously. A baby's head is heavy in proportion to the body and isn't well supported by underdeveloped neck muscles, hence the action of the head whipping back and forth can cause the brain to rebound against the skull, resulting in... well stuff you don't want happening to your baby. Wonder why no one stopped us the first time around - but kudos to the Jumpstreet referees who took the time to stop and explain.

Next up - the High Performance court! Only those above 110cm height are allowed to enter, and thankfully Aiden met the mark. The High Performance court boasts of six Olympic spec trampolines, for that super oommpphh high jump. Only one jumper allowed per trampoline, so entry to this court is regulated - five minutes each session. End your session by jumping into the super big inflatable air bag - affectionately called as the Big Bag.

Check out that cool guy bouncing off the vertical wall.

Aiden and his friends waiting for their turn into the High Performance court.

More pictures of the rest of the attraction areas:

The main court - their biggest space of interconnected trampolines. You can ask for a ten-minute jumping crash course from any of the referees here.

Dodge ball. Doubt anyone was following the rules of the game here. More like hit and runnnnnnnnn!

The famous foam pit! Diving into these cushy soft foams cubes is fun, but trying to get out is completely the opposite!

In a blink of an eye, our hour was up and I dragged my painful thighs up the stairs to the Jump Cafe for a cup of their captivating coffee milkshake. They also serve breakfast (before 2pm) and an assortment of sandwiches and wraps. I assume food for the party packages are supplied from his cafe, because I saw a tray of scrumptious looking sandwiches making its way from here to the party room below.

They have desserts too, in case you want to regain all those calories you just lost. *grin*

A sweaty Aiden!

Aiden and I rocking our crazy bed hair! Note to self: next time - tie up your hair!!!

Last but not least, a picture of the whole family when we visited Jumpstreet the second time around!

Oh yeah, if you're planning to visit Jumpstreet with the kids, make sure they wear long and stretchable pants. Carpet burns erm, I mean friction burns from the trampoline are not fun for their knees, and mending holes in their pants are not fun for the mommies! Have fun!

Turning 32 in Emerald Green

A continuation of my last post...

After the very tummy-satisfying trip to Penang, we continued my birthday adventure in Ipoh. It was a quadruple celebration; my brother's wedding, my Papa's 80th birthday, Ian's first birthday, and not to forget - yours truly's birthday lahhhh...

The theme was emerald green and it was no easy feat trying to get everyone to match. This time around, Hubby refused to make a new baju melayu - he wanted to recycle an existing baju melayu that has been hanging in our closet for the last 7 years. *sigh* Which meant that I had to literally run around town with his baju melayu in hand, to look for baju melayu for the two kids and a ready made baju kurung for myself in the exact same shade! Do you know how many shades of emerald green available out there??? I was lucky I found one shop in Jalan TAR that sold baju melayu for the two kiddos in a similar shade. Next was getting my outfit to match. After weeks and weeks of walking in various shopping malls, I found one outfit in exactly the same green as Hubby, in Saidatulnisa. Lesson learnt - next time just buy a similar material and send it to the tailor for peace of mind. Or - get my outfit ready first then insist that Hubby and the kids match my colour instead! 

The wedding was held at Casuarina Ipoh at Meru. New hotel, and just a stone's throw away from my stepmother's house. Meru is certainly an upcoming area in Ipoh! We walked into the hotel and was greeted by a life-sized standee picture of my brother and his new wife, right smack by the check-in counter. *grin* 

Modern design room.

The build-in hairdryer in the bathroom certainly came in handy that night. 

The ballroom was beautifully decorated for the wedding. I especially liked the elevated walkway towards the dias and how they decorated it in white. There's something so enchanting about the colour white... it's a timeless color and it has such a pure feeling to it.

The beginning of the elevated walkway. Breathtakingly beautiful - decorated with lanterns and white flowers.

The dias in the background, complemented with white drapes.

After choosing our seats, we got to work with greeting the guests at the entrance of the ballroom.

Aiden was nowhere to be found.

But then again, he always manages to appear in group photos! Here are the ladies in my family. See how my shade of green differs from the rest?

The wedding kicked off and Aiden kept himself busy munching on chocolates.

While the crowd was busy watching the bride and groom, we were busy taking selfies! 

Aiden and Ian were both happy and smiling that night.

Aiden is usually super scared of my Papa. I think it is because he sees him only once in a blue moon. Doesn't help that Hubby's dad (Aiden's datuk) pampers Aiden all the time - which is something my Papa doesn't do. But this time around, Aiden actually wanted to take photos with his "kampung datuk", and even gave him a hug (picture further below). Hubby and I were pleasantly surprised!

Can you believe my dad is 80??!!

Halfway through the wedding dinner, Aiden was asked to change into his next outfit. Yup - Aiden was going to escort the flower girl and walk together with the bride and groom down the aisle for cake cutting. As always, Aiden loves being in the limelight so he raced back to our room to change into his tuxedo. He also requested for Daddy to style his hair with some hair gel *huwaaa I am going to cryyyyy, Aiden has grown so muchhhh* and after inspecting himself in the mirror - he insisted that no one touch his impeccably styled hair!

Posing proudly.

Handsome Aiden posing with his partner, pretty Azalea.

Of course, Ian had to change into a similar tuxedo too (a hand me down suit from Aiden!), and he looked like such a gentleman here, holding Arissa's back. (Actually, he was using Arissa as support for him to stand *laughs*)

On the left - Aiden looking super proud in his crisp tuxedo. On the right - Aiden looking slightly pissed that he had to pose so many times because his baby brother wasn't cooperating!

I bought a red bow for Aiden to complement the red handkerchief at the tuxedo's breast pocket, not knowing that the men entourage would also don black tuxedos with red neckties. It was perfect, because Aiden matched them beautifully!

Aiden was smiling and posing for pictures throughout the walk down the aisle. I could tell that he was definitely enjoying all the attention given to him.

Smiling as he walked into the ballroom.

Smiling at any cameras trained towards him!

Aiden and Azalea leading the entourage.

Still smiling!

After the cake cutting ceremony, all of Papa's children including their other halves and kids, went up the stage to sing for him. We sang "Lagenda" - the words really impacted my Papa as he was seen wiping tears as he watched us sing. After the song, Papa was invited onstage to give a speech to commemorate his 80th birthday. It was 9 pages in total! I could barely feel my feet by the end of the speech. Hubby was holding Ian who promptly fell asleep in his arms, and poor Hubby had to carry a sleeping 10kg Ian throughout the longgggg speech.

Group selfie just before we went on stage.

Papa and his very long (but entertaining!) speech. He even cracked a joke about having 5 wives, two being deceased hence he had one more slot available. *erkkk*

Aiden hugging my Papa. So sweet!

Selfie with the two kiddos.

Aiden receiving a peck on the cheek for a job well done.

After the wedding ceremony was over, Hubby and I took the opportunity to close the night with a small cake cutting session for Ian. I didn't even bother baking the cake, I simply ordered the cake from KL and carried it on my lap all the way to Ipoh. Truth be told, when I saw the cake - it was love at first sight and I knew that I simply wanted it for Ian. The cake was made in a shape of an adorable giraffe, with a hat and a tie - I mean, how much cuter can the cake get??!!

Hubby posing with the cake.

Check out that priceless grin when Ian saw his birthday cake! I actually had to block his hand from whacking the giraffe's hat!

Super super cute.

Close ups of the giraffe - with eyelashes to die for!

Love this picture of my dad staring at the giraffe. He was probably thinking back to his birthday cake when he was a year old! *grin*

Singing the birthday song for Ian.

Ooppss we forgot to light the candle.

The three generations blowing out the single candle, Aiden included!

Check out Ian's expression, while looking at my dad: "Who are you and what are you doing with my cake?"

Thumbs up from Aiden!

A kiss on the cheek for the birthday boy.

Finally, we let Ian loose with the cake. And the first thing he did was pull the giraffe's ear off and munched on it!

Ian insisted that Daddy have a taste of the yummy giraffe's ear!

Happy birthday to Ian and me!

Last free-style family photo for the night.

Sisters - from three different mothers!

Ian enjoying his birthday cake.

Aiden came up to me and said "Mummy, this flower is especially for you". I melted and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Back in the room, we tried very hard to get the two boys to sit down together for photos. Can you see Ian wheezing around the room?

Best picture we could get that night!