Drom, Bayswater

Is the hype at Drom worth it? Motion, set, debate! Yup, I have been getting into the idea of debates lately thanks to Fred and Hannah's enthusiasm or perhaps forced participation in them.. not sure if any teenager would willingly participate in more extra curricular activities.

Debating is about raising arguments for and against a motion (a topic) regardless of your own conviction. I think you can have a nonsense bs argument but as long as it's presented convincingly and delivered with enough flair you might just win.

Back to Drom.. we ordered a supermoon - a variation on the shape of the traditional croissant. A crescent moon and a play on their name which means dream in a Nordic language.

The hazelnut chocolate crescent is filled with chunky hazelnut and sweet chocolate. It is crispy on the outside, expected with the slabs of butter that has gone into making the dough but still quite light overall. At $12 I understand why the baker was putting these away in the glass case like his grandma's bone china tea set.

I ordered the breakfast bagel ($15) which has maple honey bacon, egg and cheese. 

It was very tasty but very greasy with liberal applications of cheese and aioli and butter. My unexplained chest twangs got worse. The bagel was soft like a dense cut of bread which is nice because I need all my teeth for old age. And they don't skimp on the bacon and eggs, there were at least two eggs used in the making of the scrambled eggs and two slices of bacon. 

The conclusion: the food is expensive, but you get all the fat and sugar you pay for plus you get to support the employment of dozens of bakers in Bayswater. It is a yes for me. 

Diwali celebrations, Marvel Stadium

Happy Diwali to all who celebrates! There was an event at Marvel Stadium yesterday that lasted until 10pm. 

I enjoyed watching the many dance performances and music. Each performer wore colourful and glitzy costumes. They danced so well.

Not to be outdone, even the party goers wore colourful kurtas and saris full with bling blings. 

There were a few food trucks and general merchandise stalls but the main stage attraction were the lively music and dance. Or just communing with fellow South Asians. 

This year's celebrations are the largest to date. I am excited to see what next year will bring!

Kota Kinabalu

After 4 years of staying out of the skies, we finally took a trip to Malaysia. I had forgotten the hassle of air travel and the tiny leg room on Air Asia that the trip to the airport was more stressful than excitement.

We spent a couple of days in Kota Kinabalu. Upon arrival, we hurried to Suria Sabah mall to escape the heat and for lunch. It was within walking distance of our hotel, Mercure. We had Sushi King but found the quality had dropped and price has increased. There was another sushi train restaurant which advertised a flat rate of rm 3.80 and seemed better value. Darn!

Deepavali kolam in Suria Sabah. There are a number of shops in mall like Coach, Padini, G2000 but I did not find anything I liked to buy.

The next day, we went to a bigger mall Imago but I still could not find anything I liked.

The view from our hotel room. The hotel is within walking distance to Jesselton Point where people can buy boat tickets to visit the surrounding islands and for water activities at the islands like sea walking, paragliding, banana boat and snorkeling. 

We bought a ticket to visit Manukan Island (rm 35 each). Many bought a ticket to visit up to 3 islands that collectively are included in the Tunku abdul rahman marine conservation park but because we wanted time to do other activities during the day, we only opted to visit the biggest island.

This is the view from the beach. It was a sunny nice day. The waters are so clear and filled with colourful fishes. Schools of baby fishes swim right up to my feet as I waded around near the shore.

There is an unattended education centre that exhibits various live fishes and coral specimens. I was struck with how gigantic these fishes are. Each are longer than my arm. When I stopped to peer at them, they swam towards me with curiosity. When I noticed their sharp teeth, I opened my mouth and in turn they opened theirs showing their multiple rows of small, sharp teeth. I would not tire of looking at these gentle, and most probably old fish.

We walked around the island and took pictures of the scenery. A lone iguana walked around the island, unaware of the flurry of clicking phones.

As the sun sets on our visit to KK, we enjoyed the view from the hotel rooftop where earlier in the day I had tried to swim but failed miserably.