Jungle in the City @ Kuala Lumpur Bird Park : World’s Biggest Aviary

amidst the hustle and bustle of hectic KL, traffic jam, shiny skyscrapers and big fancy malls, there is a precious green gem called the ‘kuala lumpur bird park’ – or ‘taman burung kuala lumpur’, located in lake gardens (tasik perdana) kuala lumpur.

this awesome park is a must-visit for all proud malaysians.

that early morning we went out to send my abah and umi to KL sentral. they’re taking the train back to ipoh. since we were already in KL area, and and it’s still early morning, might as well jalan-jalan. so we decided to take an impromptu detour to the kuala lumpur bird park.

did you know that our own kuala lumpur bird park is the world’s LARGEST free-flight walk-in *aviary (sangkar terbang bebas terbesar di dunia)? very impressive!

here i am, living in dubai; the land of the world’s tallest building, and the world’s biggest mall, and the world’s highest fountain – when back home, we have the world’s largest bird park!

*an aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. aviaries often contain plants and shrubbery to simulate a natural environment. ~wikipedia

that means, when you walk into the kl bird park, you’re walking into the largest cage in the world! the birds live, fly, and play in their natural habitat, simulated in this large aviary.

it’s somewhat a ‘cage’ per-se, but the natural habitat that they ‘built’ for these birds are so good and real, that researchers often choose this bird park to study behavioral pattern of birds!

fun facts on kl bird park :

• open in 1991
  
• it’s adjacent to lake gardens
  
• there are over 3000 birds from 200 species!
  
• 90% local birds, and the rest imported

one of the best features of kuala lumpur bird park – some birds walk freely among the visitors. pecking away in bushes. sitting on a branch, just within reach or simply taking a stroll right beside us!

the boys were super excited to see so many types of colorful birds!

here’s a picture of us with some of the most beautiful birds I’ve ever seen up close. and to have a few of them perching on my arm and shoulder was just so exciting! this was at the photo section where you pay to get a picture taken with these fabulous feather friends. I was more amazed at how the boys were able to sit still when the staff put a parrot on their head!

khaleef and the lovebirds. he said that the blue macaw were ‘blue’ and ‘jewel’ from the animation ‘rio’!

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here’s another fun section – you pay to get cups of milk and some sunflower seeds, and you get to feed the friendly parrots around this section. the parrots were super friendly and tame, and didn’t mind perching all over you as they helped themselves to those yummy milk and seeds that you’re holding!

khaleef got ecstatic as one of the parrots started getting cozy on his wrist. he said the claw on his arm actually hurt a little, but he didn’t mind it. they were too cute!

kahfi loved this one so much! he didn’t budge from this one here.

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one of the noisiest cages in the kuala lumpur bird park. they were literally communicating with the boys. using different languages, of course. but really, memang berbalas-balas bunyi. the birds would chirp something really loud, and kahfi would go like, “what? what is it?” and then the birds replied. and kahfi continued the conversation. super cute.

khaleef said this reminded him of ‘jurassic park’ – where the entrance to the pterodactyl’s cage is similar to this one.

a large pond and waterfall, making the birds feel at home; in their natural habitat.

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the bird show was very entertaining. it was done entirely in english for the benefit of the international tourists. so happy to see the middle east tourists and omputeh laughing, enjoying the jokes and funny antics of the birds. our kuala lumpur bird park was alright!

there was also a section where we can learn how different bird eggs grow and hatched; as well as their different habitat. there was this cage with the most adorable chicks. ya Allah comel sangat! this is one of those indoor places in the bird park, so it’s air-conditioned. masuk-masuk je wow – legaaaa! sejuk!

for rm25 I think it’s worth it – walking into another world filled with greeneries and serenity, accompanied with chirps and hoots of wild birds, leaving the hectic metropolitan and traffic jam of KL behind…

try bird park today. world’s biggest aviary, yo! malaysia boleh!

Nasi Kukus Ilham @ Mutiara Damansara : Panas! Pedas!

this is one crazy dish that seemed so simple, but I was told is so popular. I’ve tried it, no thanks to my aunts cik and auntyna (haha) – introducing me to this super-spicy rice dish! looking at the pictures I can still feel the pang in my mouth. fiery. spicy. hot!

 

 

this post is for you spicy-freaks, yes you!

 

the ‘famous’ ilham nasi kukus

 

apparently this place is super popular. tanpa segan silu diorang siap taruh perkataan ‘famous’ kat board diorang hihi. the *famous* ‘ilham nasi kukus’ at mutiara damansara. it’s just a simple restaurant that looks like any other goreng-goreng restaurant.

it’s got one small counter on the side for payment, one bigger counter (yet not too packed like mamak restaurant) for the drinks, and on the other side facing the road is where the magic happens : that’s where patrons line up to order, get their food; and where the fried chicken is freshly fried – there and then.

 

you can see my cousin umar in black T joining the long line of hungry people waiting patiently to order their nasi kukus.

 

‘take your meal here’. ok doki.

 

comot macam kat restoran nasik kandaq. lagi comot lagi sedap kan!

 

where they kukus (steam) the rice, and where they freshly fried the chicken. therein lies the not-so-secret to its popularity – hot, fresh chicken eaten with fresh steaming rice.

 

tapau or eat in, the nasi kukus is served in brown packets of ‘ilham nasi kukus’ like this, lying on a banana leaf inside. aromatic!

 

I love the chicken. the chicken at ‘ilham nasi kukus’ is crispy crunchy, with tender juicy flesh – everything that a good delicious fried chicken should be. that’s the key to its popularity – hot, and fresh.

 

omg look at that. just look at that. this is the famous ilham nasi kukus! spicy gravy spilling and seeping into my innocent steamed rice. and what could be better (or murderous!) than adding spicy gulai nenas, and top it all with hot sambal ikan bilis campur cili padi?

 

sebagai seorang yang memang tak suka makan pedas, aku tengok pun takut! I don’t like spicy food, so I don’t get why a simple plate of just chicken, ikan bilis and sambal cili padi would be so popular? and ‘ilham nasi kukus’ does not come with any other lauk tau! so everyone who came here really came JUST for this dish!

it must be the freshness. made fresh. on the spot. bukan dah siap-siap goreng dari petang tadi. they fry and serve, fry and serve.

I’m sure you guys know by now that this review would be biased, coming from someone who dislike spicy food – but I’m highly recommending ‘ilham nasi kukus’ to all my spicy-freak readers out there. as you can see it’s a very simple dish but prepared fresh and hot, and of course – very spicy.

 

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with my aunt cik. who loves spicy food. me not so much!

 

my adorable cousins siti, amin & nayah : semua gile pedas!

 

sempoi je kedainya. masa ni nak tutup dah ilham nasi kukus ni

 

ok guys, kalo gile nak makan pedas, and you happen to be around mutiara damansara, check out ‘ilham nasi kukus’ and lit your tongue on fire!

Kidzania KL With Cousins

thanks to atok, my boys khaleef and kahfi get to have a day of fun at kidzania KL last july with their cousins haiqal, haqeem, cuya, nuna and ica. there were 2 sessions, and the kiddos went for the afternoon session. there were lots of drama, excitement and few surprises too like with kahfi and modelling!

my sister syimot and I accompanied the kids at kidzania, while azi took care of kazim. thanks azot!

 

khaleef sporting a kidzania dubai t-shirt

 

the kids did many fun jobs and awesome activities; but these are just a couple of interesting things that happened hihi :

1) kahfi CRIED on the first job

the first *job* that they applied for at kidzania KL was a pilot for air asia. (in kidzania dubai it’s emirates airline). kahfi started crying first for no apparent reason other than he simply doesn’t want to line up with other kids away from mommy, to be a pilot. arghh! I was like a crazy mom, “go be a pilot! be a pilot! later you can be the fireman! GO BE A PILOT!” haha. it didn’t work. he cried harder and I had to take him out of line.

and then berjangkit. the youngest of them all ica pulak cried like mad.

in the middle of it all, I applaud my eldest nephew haiqal for being a very responsible abang – he went out of his long line just to comfort kahfi, and then ica. luckily the ‘air asia officer’ let haiqal go back to his line. well done, haiqal!

 

while kahfi & ica went out of the line, the others happily waited to be an ‘air asia pilot’!

 

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2) the kids SEPARATE into 2 groups : the boys, and the girls. plus kahfi. haha.

since the older boys can do a lot more jobs and have more patience waiting in long lines than the younger girls (and kahfi! haha) so we decided it was better that we separate and let the boys do the older-kids-jobs while the girls do kiddy stuff like making ice-cream or biscuits.

 

‘the girls team’ plus kahfi huhu. kahfi, cuya, ica & nuna at the ‘vitagen factory’. seronok betul dapat tengok vitagen klua dari machine tu!

 

so haiqal, haqeem and khaleef went their way, while we brought cuya, nuna & ica to jobs or activities that did not need a lot of waiting around. and since kahfi was also restless, haha so he followed the girls.

we advised haiqal to watch the time and meet us back at such and such place at a certain time. alhamdulillah everything worked well and everyone had a great time in their own pace.

 

the kids at the ‘ice-cream factory’

 

3) let the kids DO their job!

I wasn’t too keen on this particular activity (ice-cream factory) simply because the staff there did EVERYTHING for the kids. the only thing the kids did were to wear the apron and hats, stand still and watch, and then eat the ice-cream. that’s it.

the staff did all the mixing and stirring. it’s ok to help, of course – but no DO everything for them.

I thought kidzania is all about hands-on experiece; to let the kids be independent and get a taste of what happens in that particular profession by doing things themselves. ape guna kalau orang tu buat semua benda. baik pegi kat baskin robbins kat luar sana sama jugak.

we saw jars of yummy chocolate rice, jelly beans and colorful sprinkles on a cupboard in the ‘factory’ and we thought that they could probably choose their toppings and sprinkle it themselves. but NOPE. nothing. so we paid for that particular activity simply to take pictures of our kids in apron, and for them to enjoy a small cup of ice-cream.

harap pihak kidzania KL take note ye. terima kasih!

 

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prisoner botak escaped from kidzania prison!

 

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4) most ‘delicious’ job – jadi minah and abang burger! but ica cried again!

in kidzania dubai, khaleef was able to be a pizza guy making pizza and then eat it hot and fresh from the oven. but here in kidzania KL, there’s burger making at marrybrown (which is a famous msia brand in dubai!)

I could see that the kids enjoyed this the most because it’s easy (clear steps of what to do first and next) and of course afterwards the got to enjoy the yummy burger. kahfi was seen hopping and jumpin at his spot – so excited with his burger!

and while waiting for his turn he said, “this is for you mak!” referring to the chicken burger. aww sweet!

 

ica was not in the picture coz she cried even before they prepared the burger. so we took her out but the nice friendly staff said he would make the burger for ica since we had already paid for hers.

 

my adorable cheeky nieces nuna & cuya

 

after making burgers, the girls and kahfi tried modelling! and while they were practicing their catwalk, my sis syimot stayed with the girls while I looked for the boys. incidentally they were right next door – it was their turn to make burgers! so I stayed with them taking pictures.

they had to sit through a documentary about marrybrown before they get to make them – and the staff use this time to fry the burgers so that it’ll be hot and fresh by the time the kids wrap ‘em. the burgers were not fried beforehand.

 

the boys khaleef, haqeem & haiqal enjoying their time flipping burgers at marrybrown

 

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5) what nuna & cuya REALLY wanted to do : FASHION SHOW! and kahfi enjoyed it too!

throughout our time at kidzania, nuna had always wanted to do fashion show. and we finally went as our final activity for the day before calling it a day. sempat jugak!

the activity is simply to be a model, and the works – pick an outfit, practice catwalk on the small runway, and the big show at the end where the kids do actual catwalk on a big stage!

 

supermodel nuna strutting her stuff on the runway during practice

 

I’m not surprised how enjoyable this would be for the girls – dressing up, parading on a stage while looking cute and people around you clapping – but I didn’t expect kahfi to enjoy it very much too! it was too funny that this was the same boy who cried so hard because he didn’t want to be a pilot!

can you spot him in the picture below. yah he’s the only boy there…

 

 

and we’re glad that ica enjoyed it too. no more crying. no more restless. during the actual catwalk on the big stage, the kiddos showed all sorts of different *styles* :

• cuya followed the exact line while walking, but she was really robotic hihi
• nuna walked like a true gedik supermodel haha, but line ntah kemana 
• ica walked a little bit and then stopped not knowing what to do – the sweetest thing was the whole hall was cheering for her, just as we cheered for their sons and daughters. really nice atmosphere
• kahfi lagi la ke laut – he was not even walking; when the mc called his name, he was hopping plus jumping plus dancing weirdly – everyone in the hall was laughing. aiyo! anak sape la tu!

final note, I would really like to applaud the kidzania KL staff handling the poney fashion show that day (I wish I had gotten her name, but at least I got her picture kat atas tu hihi) who was really enthusiastic, keeping the kids hyped-up too. all kidzania staff should have that same energy because it’s a kids place – should be upbeat, energetic and exciting. kudos to you, young lady!

kalau muka macam baru gaduh dengan boipren budak-budak pun takde mood!

 

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6) oreo-making is for 8yr plus? how about the 4yr – 7yr old fans of oreos!

I was frustrated to see that there’s an age requirement to make oreos – that deliciously sinful choc biscuit with sweet white filling that every kid loves! kesian kahfi and the girls were not ‘qualified’ to make oreos. susah sangat ke…

 

 

anyways, the boys had a great time making those delicious biscuits as their final activity for the day. I absolutely LOVE their dark blue chef hats. comel sangat!

 

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and so it was the cousins’ eventful day of fun at kidzania KL, courtesy of atok! thanks so much atok! next year belanja lagi ye kih kih. and thanks mak su and uncle faiz for babysittin little kazim!

click here for khaleef’s experience at kidzania dubai for his birthday.

Like Karaoke? Jom Kota Damansara or Alamanda

i like to sing very much. while driving, while cooking, while blogging. I sing. so naturally, I like karaoke too. it liberates me. it lets me sing as loud as i want, with real music to back my singing. it lets me live an imaginative world where i am an award-winning singer at a LIVE concert. with fans cheering at the back. and by fans, I mean the people who came with me to the karaoke place. haha.

 

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my youngest sis azi knows very well how much I love singing so she and her fiance faiz treated me to a night of karaoke last few weeks. this has been an idea we throw about for weeks now, even before ramadhan, and only now did we really go out and do it.

the boys were with my in-laws, and mr. khairul out with his friends – so I was grabbing the chance to have one late night out and go nuts!

 

 

azi and faiz took me to ‘loud speaker karaoke’ at kota damansara. it’s a rather big, imposing place with bright lights and huge writings in chinese – terasa macam nak berkaraoke kat hong kong!

 

the touch-screen to choose songs is the one on azi’s left, in front of the sofa

 

the room is fairly spacious as it was just the three of us. very comfy and well-air-conditioned. plenty of space to swing around while you sing (nak buat breakdance pun boleh), with two small tables to put your drinks and food.

food is sold here, but we opted for the ‘just-drinks’ package which offers bottomless drinks till the end of our 3-hour karaoke session.

how to choose your songs?

a touch-screen is right in front of you where you can make your song choice as you sit watching your friends singing (like in the picture above). I like it because in some karaoke place, the touch screen is placed on the wall next to the tv so you need to get up to choose a song. and it can distract the person who is singing too!

 

guess which singer did I check out first? haha

 

though you can control the volume from the touch-screen, there’s also a small remote on the wall on the other side of the room to control the volume.

 

yay! i really let go and sang my heart out! over gile lepas geram punya pasal. songs of anuar zain, dayang nurfaizah, innuendo, jaclyn victor – I was having fun! it was just me, my sister azi and her fiance who had to endure my singing! haha.

azi and faiz even sang THEIR song – a love song that sort off explain their feelings for each other, michael learns to rock’s ‘I’m gonna love you’. eww. haha. faiz has a really soothing voice like an indonesian singer (bleh!) and azi’s soft tone of voice complements his. meant to be la tu konon. hoho.

thanks azi and faiz for finally putting your feet down, just got out and pulled me into this happy mess of loud songs and awfully great singing. one of the most enjoyable moments I’ve had. hope we can do this again soon!

 

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just a week after, my singing-crazy sis-in-law also suggested a karaoke place in alamanda called ‘superstar’, which surprises me as it looks very posh and polished. the black and white walls with bright white lights in lines remind me of something out of the movie ‘tron’. haha.

nways, this time it was a slightly bigger ‘crowd’ – I came with mr. khairul and his siblings – tina, asrar and his 12 year-old youngest sis sofia also tagged along.

 

 

we took one of the food-and-drinks package which includes a regular box of non-caramel popcorn, fries, kacang putih and 5-piece nugget. for drinks, it’s a jug of iced coke. not bad for a night of belting out songs of love and broken-hearted!

when I looked at the menu, I was amused – the menu not only consist of western food such as nuggets and chicken wings, but keropok lekor ngan cucur udang pun ade! this really is a malay-owned karaoke place!

 

 

for a 5-people group, the room we’re given is quite small, just enough for a long sofa, one small table and a narrow place for those who wants to sing standing up. however, the fun time spent is most important, and the siblings make the most of the time they have with their eldest brother yang balik bercuti dari dubai tu!

they were loud, funny, and really went all out when singing. ALL of them enjoyed karaoke-ing so after a few song-choice, I just need to sit back and enjoy the loud merriment and let these crazy kids hog the mic. hihi.

 

my bro-in-law asrar with his rock kapak voice, my sis-in-law tina with a LIVE recording-artist voice that suits any songs especially the ballads, and even my 12 year-old youngest sis can belt out beyonce songs with ease. these kids are not just karaoke-nuts – they actually sound good!

 

the touch-screen for song choice is on the wall right next to the TV screen

 

mr. khairul did not sing, you might ask? haha I broke the ice asking him to sing anuar zain’s ‘lelaki ini’ for me. hihi. and then I regret it. I had opened a door. a karaoke-craze person came out from mr. khairul and throughout the night went wild singing bon jovi, zainal abidin and even KRU. way to blow off some steam, tuan pengarah!

 

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err, is there karaoke place in dubai?