A Mature Garden

I was flicking through my old posts about my garden here and here, and was shocked at how bare my garden was back then. Hubby enjoys gardening and our now mature garden certainly reflects that.

Since our house is so close by to Sg Buloh, we are constantly adding on to the garden. There were certainly a lot of trial and errors - just because the leaves are healthy and the flowers are blooming at the nursery, it doesn't mean that it will stay that way once it gets into your garden. We are not gardeners, nor do we have time to tend to the plants everyday. We only make sure all the plants get water once a day and fertilizer twice a month, and even that doesn't guarantee healthy plants! We once planted a row of red shrubs, and they all started dying one by one until not even one survived. *sigh*

Our front door. What used to be bare, is now blooming.

Ignore the umbrellas. As you can see, i'm trying my hand out in orchids now, but frankly, it's not looking too successful. The plant in the pasu was taken from my aunt's house, and I was so surprised that with the right amount of shade, it is quite easy to maintain. We used to have a plant with sharp leaves in the corner beside the pebble filled drain and the roses, and it was growing big (as tall as me) and healthy when suddenly while we were in Houston, we received a call from my in-laws reporting that the tree rebah ke tanah! Apparently anai anai had attacked the batang pokok to the point that it became hollow. So we are now trying out a new tree with red leaves. Read that it is not an easy tree to maintain, and there is also a possibility that the leaves will turn green - we'll see!

My future Tiger Woods. In this picture the corner I mentioned above was still bare. Cucuk dengan pelita jer in memory of the tree that fell. So sad!

Bought this kids' golf bag and set of clubs in Houston. Reasonable price, complete set of clubs were only USD 10!

The above mentioned tree with red leaves. Tiny roses blooming on the left.

Front view of the garden. 

Remember we used to have a black bowl with water lilies at the end of the pebble filled drain? Well the black bowl is now elevated on a vase stand. In its place we placed a big white pasu - don't ask me how much soil we had to use to fill that huge thing! Our favourite corner is still flourishing - as you can see the trees are big and sturdy and we added two new Bucida trees beside the corner and in front of the elevated black bowl. 

Middle view of the garden from the front.

Ignore the freshly cut grass. I hate it when the gardener cuts the grass this way, it looks patchy instead of smooth. We changed the row of shrubs between the two elevated vases at least 3 times until we finally found one particular type which is very hardy and that the rabbits hate to chew on! White garden tables and chairs courtesy of the in laws. I especially love the plant with the white flowers at the end of the wall strip. It is constantly blooming!

Water lilies in the afternoon. But they bloom beautifully in the morning!

Middle view of the garden from the back.

Previously, the walls were bare. Now, its completely covered with multiple types of plants. Hubby loves pokok lalang, so you can see a clump of pokok lalang with red leaves just beside the tree on the left, and on the right in the elevated vase is another type of pokok lalang that lives in water.

See the ends of the pokok lalang? I don't have to buy the fake ones they sell in Ikea. Instead, they live naturally in my garden!

View from the patio. Water slide dirt cheap from Houston, as usual.

The patio garden.

When I first bought my garden furniture, the patio was completely bare! This is where I grow my herbs. Alhamdulillah after 3 tries, my rosemary looks healthy. My daun kunyit on the contrary, macam hidup segan, mati tak mahu. Any tips?? On the other hand, my Hydrangeas (pokok tiga bulan) are blooming with leaves, but refuses to sprout any flowers. Again, any tips??

View of the patio from inside the house.

Adventurous Hubby decided to bring this aeroplane home from Houston. Very impressed that he managed to stuff it into our luggage safely!

Back view of the garden.

Our bamboo tree in the right hand corner of the picture is growing healthy and tall. Daun pandan is also flourishing. But I think I need taller trees to block the laundry area. Next project, maybe?

Tiger Woods concentration in action. Red bushes lining the dining hall windows are constantly getting attacked by anai anai *sigh*

Check out that winning smile!

And as a finale - at the back of my garden, introducing my pride and joy. A pokok kari that is even taller than me!

Hubby's 32nd Birthday Weekend Getaway at The Majestic, KL

Happy 32nd Birthday, Sayang!

Cracked my head really hard over his birthday for this year. I think we have done it all, from French cuisine at Cafe Cafe to red noses at Prego and even a holiday getaway to Redang - what else different can I do this time?

I was looking (stalking!) through Marion Caunter's instagram and I saw a picture of her having tea at a really beautiful room filled with orchids called the Orchid Conservatory. Damn, that woman looks hot even when she's pregnant. Googled the place and found out that it is part of The Majestic Hotel, a newly refurbished/rebuilt hotel that includes the original colonial structure built in 1932 which is documented as a National Heritage site. It is the only hotel in Kuala Lumpur to be included in the Leading Hotels of the World luxury hotel collection, and really, I am quite flabbergasted that I never knew about the existence of this hotel!

Immediately made up my mind, weekend getaway! I'm too boyot (heavily pregnant) to survive a trip out of the city, and I think both Hubby and I deserve a relaxing getaway despite staying the city. It was quite a toss up between bringing Aiden or leaving him at home - but in the end I decided to include him in the fun. I don't think I can bear the thought of him sleeping away from us, especially now that baby #2 is on the way.

Initially I wanted the weekend getaway to be a surprise, but knowing Hubby and his love of conveniently forgetting appointments, I warned him way way earlier about keeping the weekend clear for "something". (And as expected, just a few days away from the getaway, he discovered that he had signed up for two marathon runs and a lunch appointment with his ex-boss during that particular weekend, in which all had to be cancelled since I had given him an early warning to keep the weekend clear!)

So come Friday, I gave him instructions to pack his bag for a one night stay. He was still completely in the dark about where we were going but at the very minimum he guessed it was going to be a hotel within KL. Saturday morning arrived and we left the house quite early. The plan was to drop Hubby and Aiden off at BSC while I settled the check-in, the balloons, cake and flowers. Unfortunately, all those plans went down the drain because we had to make a pit stop at the mechanic that took longer than expected, and also - it started pouring cats and dogs! In the end, I only had time to drop them at BSC, rushed to The Majestic to check-in, chose a good spot for dinner at the Contango, arranged for a cake to be ready for that night and rushed back to BSC to pick them up again.

Loving the four poster bed and the huge L-shape sofa (which I thought could serve as Aiden's bed - yeah right!)

The luxurious bathroom. Two sinks and toiletries from Crabtree and Evelyn.

Bathroom is completely glass (which is obviously not a problem for us) but fret not, there is a curtain which you can choose to pull close if you want to.

Orchids are definitely a big thing in this hotel. It is used everywhere as decor!

The welcome screen on the TV. 

Arrived at BSC and decided to have family lunch at our favourite Thai restaurant, Busaba. The last time Hubby and I dined here we ordered a fabulous meal of green curry chicken, clear Tomyam soup, chicken with cashew nuts and sizzling tofu. It was just the two of us for lunch, and we were very happy with the food and the fast service. Definitely an intimate affair for us, surrounded by discreet businessmen and swanky groups of ladies carrying Birkins and Chanels. This time around, with Aiden in tow (and an afternoon at the swimming pool ahead of us), we decided to order light - steamed fish and clear Tomyam soup. The Tomyam soup of course, never failed to impress us (despite the heartburn afterwards). It's spicy yet tangy, so if you're a chili wuss, please tell the waiter to tone down on the heat. 

Happy happy faces, especially Aiden who kept asking about the swimming pool.

Managed to squeeze a trip to the BSC florist before lunch ended, for some pretty rose petals. Drove all of us back to the hotel (Hubby was so impressed that I was driving him, instead of the other way round) and the whole way he kept asking "Is it, Hilton KL? Is it Le Meridian? Can't be Cititel right?" until finally we got to the grounds of the Majestic and boy, was he surprised since he had never heard of the hotel before!

He even asked me "is this a 5 star hotel, yang?" I gave him a dirty look and retorted "of course"!

Made Hubby wait outside the room while Aiden and I scattered the flower petals on the bed. Loving the huge, soft bed with plush, fluffy pillows!

Happy excited faces - let the weekend begin!

Dumped all the flower petals in the bathtub.

Of course, Aiden officiated the bathtub. He got excited when I showed him the TV in the bathroom, but got extremely excited when I showed him that he could watch the Disney channel while splashing around in the bathtub! 

Before we jumped into the swimming pool, Hubby suggested that we took a walk around the hotel. I think he became quite curious about the hotel, especially when I told him about the historical roots of the hotel.

Posing with the doorman, wearing a British guard colonial unform complete with long socks and pith headgear.

The Orchid Conservatory. I was so disappointed when I found out that no kids were allowed in the room. Watched jealously as the ladies inside the glass atrium had their high-tea in style. Will definitely return with Hubby for high tea (RM88++ in this room, RM68++ in the Drawing Room and RM48++ in the only area that allows kids - the Tea Lounge).

The Majestic KL sits facing the iconic Moorish style railway station.

Can you see the railway station in the background? There are two swimming pools in the hotel. This one is in the original Majestic Wing while the other is in the new Tower Wing.

The Majestic Spa - longing so badly for a full body massage... post pregnancy!

The hotel facade. The building in the front is the Majestic Wing (where the suites are), while the taller building at the back is the new Tower Wing.

Swimming time! Cars swimming outfit from the Disney Store in Houston.

The swimming pool on the 4th floor of the Tower Wing. You can see the KL skyline from here.

After swimming, Aiden continued with a dip in the bathtub, watching the Lion King on TV!

Finally, all ready for dinner! OMG I look like i'm ready to pop anytime soon in this picture.

We had dinner at the Contango. It was a fabulous buffet spread - they had Western (with a pizza oven), everything Japanese (sashimi, drool!), Thai and of course Malay, Chinese and Indian. The only qualm I had on this place was the lack of description labels of the food. Apparently, since this is an open kitchen with an interactive dining concept, this is intentionally done to promote interaction between guests and the service staff. Hubby on the other hand, thought that it was a great idea and immediately started interacting with the staff and chefs who were more than happy to keep him entertained.

The birthday boy and his favourite oysters!

Aiden didn't share his Daddy's love for oysters.

Hubby was rewarded generously by actively interacting with the chefs. The chefs graciously kept aside a plateful of oysters just for Hubby and we kept getting dishes which do not even appear in the buffet line. One particular chef even came to our table to suggest his famous creations, freshly prepared chocolate banana roti canai and roti tisu strawberry. Unfortunately, he had run out of durians, if not he would have loved to serve us his best seller roti canai durian. Apparently only regulars know about it (it is not part of the buffet) and he only makes about 8pcs per night, so if you happen to be having dinner at the Majestic, you know what to ask for!

Enjoying his roti canai chocolate banana.

After stuffing ourselves silly, the service staff served Hubby with a rich dark chocolate birthday cake and even sang him the birthday song. But the best part was when the chef arrived with the roti tisu strawberry complete with a candle!

Kudos to the staff of Majestic KL for such superb and personalized service!

Happy birthday Hubby!

My two boys.

Family picture.

It was quite a blessing in disguise, to have two birthday "cakes", cos Aiden insisted that it was his birthday as well and wanted his own cake and candles to blow!

Apart from stuffing myself with the sashimi (tak ingat pregnant langsung!), and dim sum, I also enjoyed the desserts. Again, I had to interact with them to get the desserts. It was a shame though, that by the time I got to the desserts they had ran out of macarons.

After the very very satisfying dinner, we decided to burn some calories by walking around the Majestic Wing again. Hubby wanted to visit The Cigar Room at the Smoke House (which we had skipped earlier because we weren't appropriately dressed), but unfortunately one of their staff explained very nicely that they cannot allow any kids (and pregnant ladies) inside so Hubby didn't get to smoke a cigar nor don the luxurious smoking jackets which can be provided upon request.

We then ventured further into the Majestic Wing but since it was quite late at night (we ate to our hearts content so by the time we left the buffet it was about 11pm), and unfortunately again, the live band was packing up. But I was oh-so impressed with the staff and the live band members. Their resident pianist actually took the time to talk to us and invited us to listen to her play the next day.

The Drawing Room. You can rent this area for intimate and elegant private parties with a touch of colonial ambiance. But again, no kids allowed *sigh*

The Reading Room. Guests can use this area to read and enjoy the reading materials provided.

The Orchid Conservatory at night. Space available for rental as well. Absolutely gorgeous! 

The elegant Tea Lounge. Comfortable plush armchairs and dainty pillows which made me hesitate to sit cos they were so pretty.

This couch is located right opposite the live band. Best seat in the house!

Another family photo!

The next morning, we had breakfast at the Contango again. Same concept, talk to the service staff and you will be rewarded with dishes not in the buffet spread.

The Contango.

Assorted jams and spreads - a bread lover's dream! And roti canai pisang again for breakfast.

Requested for late check-out and had another dip in the pool.

Aiden was getting a bit sleepy by the time we wanted to check out.

But of course Mummy forced him to take pictures at the lobby before we left.

And another.

Entrance of the hotel.

Another shot with the very friendly doorman.

Last family photo before we left.

Goodbye and thank you Majestic KL. We certainly had a great weekend getaway! Happy 32nd Birthday Hubby!